


Book Two: Earth & Discovery

by SoTellMeAboutYourself



Series: Passion in Avatar [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Family, Fanart, Fantasy, Love, Lust, Rage, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem, Slow Build, Voice of Reason, War, changes, love yourself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-04-08 14:39:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 100,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14107551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoTellMeAboutYourself/pseuds/SoTellMeAboutYourself
Summary: After making a major discovery at the North Pole, Celina continues traveling with Aang and her siblings to the Earth Kingdom. With her new spirit heritage, Celina will discover things about herself that she never knew along with finding out some surprising things about new friends and past enemies.





	1. The Avatar State

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything. Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to Nick. Enjoy and be sure to leave a review!

          The trip back to the Earth Kingdom was a long one as Master Pakku offered to accompany them as far as he could while he and other Northern Water Tribe members were off to the South Pole. This left Celina little places to go when trying to avoid her siblings and Aang's questions. She had yet to tell them anything about what happened in the Spirit World and killing Zhao. Celina knew that she'd have to tell them eventually but she was still trying to get her head around it herself.

          She was a spirit and she was sent to earth in order to stop the 100 Year War. No pressure right? Now she knew how Aang felt now about living up to his Avatar status. In order to avoid questions from Sokka, Katara, and Aang she spent her time practicing her waterbending with Pakku, hiding away with Appa, and sleeping. With the discovery of her heritage, Celina's insomnia disappeared, mainly thanks to the fact that Koh was no longer able to haunt her dreams. Every time she went to sleep her parents would use their newfound connection to talk to her in the spirit world. Celina didn't understand how she managed to get a full night's sleep if she was spending it talking to her parents but didn't question it, happy to be rid of her nightmares.

          Currently, she stood out on the deck. The gang spent a lot of time sailing and Appa was getting stir crazy so Aang decided that they would fly the rest of the way there. Before they left though they needed to say goodbye. Master Pakku stood in front of them with a bag of gifts. The first thing he pulled out was an amulet.

          "Katara, I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis. The water has unique properties. Don't lose it," he said presenting it to Katara.

          "Thank you, Master Pakku," Katara said respectfully. She hugged him before walking off to board Appa. Pakku reached into his bag and pulled out an intricately designed box.

          "Aang, these scrolls will help you master waterbending, but remember they're no substitute for a real master," Pakku told him. Aang looked over at both Celina and Katara before moving to join Katara.

          "Sokka. Take care, son," Pakku told him before patting his arm. Sokka stalked off, disappointed that he didn't get anything.

          With the other three gone Pakku reached into his bag and pulled out another amulet of water from the Spirit Oasis. "How are you doing?" he asked, handing her the vial.

          "I'm… moving forward," Celina told him. Pakku gave Celina a soft smile before embracing her in a hug.

          "You're an amazing young woman, Celina. I'm happy that I got to know and teach with such a talented Waterbending Master. I know that you'll do great things," he told her. Celina pulled away, hoping he didn't notice her shift uncomfortably. "Good luck to the four of you."

          "Thank you," Celina said and then climbed up on Appa with the rest of the gang.

          "Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There you'll be safe to begin you earthbending training with King Bumi," Pakku told the group. Aang nodded.

          "Appa, yip yip!"

          The waterbending siblings turned back and waved goodbye at Master Pakku as Appa took off. "Say hi to Gran Gran for me!" Katara shouted down to him. Once they were away from the boat the group turned their attention to Celina. "So, what did Master Pakku give you?"

          "A vial of Spirit Water like you," Celina answered, holding up the vial to show them.

          "You two spent a bit of time talking," Sokka said, referring to her and Pakku's talk.

          "We were just talking about Waterbending Master stuff," Celina lied. Katara and Sokka shot each other a look before looking back at their sister.

          "If something happened back at the North Pole you can tell us, you know that right?" Sokka told her.

          "I know, I know," Celina said, feeling a bit foolish that she hadn't told them anything yet. "It's just that… there are things that happened that I still need to get my head around."

          "Maybe talking to us about it will help you," Katara suggested.

          "No, this is… I need to get a handle on this myself because I'm positive you guys are going to have questions that I might not be able to answer," Celina said.

          "What are you hiding from us?" Sokka asked worried.

          "Just give me a few more days, then I'll tell you three everything," Celina replied.

          Sokka and Katara gave Celina worried looked but nodded in agreement. At least she was being a bit more open with them about things. They remembered at the very beginning of their adventure when Celina revealed that she was a waterbender. The both of them felt hurt that she couldn't come to them about it. Katara especially feeling hurt. Now though she acknowledged she was keeping something from them and asked Sokka and Katara to give her more time to think about things. She promised she would tell

* * *

 

          They continued flying for a while in silence as Celina and Aang weren't really up for talking, which bored Sokka beyond belief. That's why he was so excited when they finally made it to General Fong's walled up base.

          "There it is!" he announced. Once they arrived Appa landed inside the wall and a bearded man in brown and green armor stepped forward to greet them.

          "Welcome, Avatar Aang!" General Fong welcomed them graciously. "I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you, great heroes! Appa, Momo, Master Celina, brave Sokka, and the mighty Katara."

          "'Mighty Katara'? I like that," Katara smiled.

          Fireworks exploded behind them, causing the gang to turn around. Aang, Katara, and Sokka looked amazed by the fireworks while Celina just gave an awkward smile, finding their welcome to be a bit over the top.

          "Not bad, not bad," Sokka said, clearly not finding it as over the top as his sister.

          After the fireworks ended General Fong ushered them into his office inside the tower. The gang sat on a floor mat in front of General Fong's desk. Celina looked around. It was a large room with a large Earth Kingdom banner hanging behind General Fong's desk.

          "Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility," General Fong said.

          "I try not to think about it too much," Aang admitted humbly.

          "Avatar… you're ready to face the Fire Lord," General Fong said. Shocked faces spread across the whole of the gang, Aang being the one in the most disbelief.

          "What?! No I'm not!" Aang replied alarmed.

          "Aang still needs to master all four elements," Katara told General Fong.

          "Why?" he asked, becoming worked up. "With the kind of power he possesses – power to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes – he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

          "But, sir, the thing is Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar state," Sokka said.

          "See, it's this special state where…," Aang went to explain before General Fong interrupted.

          "I'm well aware. Your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores. But with you leading the way as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation."

          "But his actions at the North Pole were a huge exception to the normal Avatar State. The Avatar State was brought on with the help of the Ocean Spirit because the Moon Spirit was killed. He was pretty much possessed by the Ocean Spirit when he took out the Fire Navy fleet," Celina informed him, remembering when Aang told them what happened back in the North Pole.

          "She's right and besides I don't know who to get in or out of the Avatar state, much less what to do once I'm there," Aang said.

          "So it's decided then. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar state, and then you'll face your destiny," General Fong decided without asking the gang.

          Celina suddenly became very angry with General Fong thinking that he could help Aang achieve such a spiritually involved thing as the Avatar State. Katara was also angry as the gang stood up.

          "No, nothing's decided. We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing his destiny his way," Katara said irritated.

          "Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" General Fong asked and led Aang over to a window. "That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back. Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are dying, Aang! You could end it, now! Think about it." Celina and Katara glared at the general, knowing what he was doing before going over and grabbing Aang. The gang then left to the quarters they were provided.

* * *

          Celina was getting ready to go to bed after spending the rest of the day with Katara in the infirmary. The two decided to help around by using their healing abilities to get the Earth Kingdom soldiers back on their feet. So they were all ready to head to bed until Aang came in.

          "I told the general I'd help him… by going into the Avatar State," he admitted quietly.

          "Aang, no. This is not the right way," Katara protested.

          "Why not? Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible," Sokka added in as he lounged on his bed.

          "Did you not listen to anything I said about the Ocean Spirit?" Celina glared at him, taking Katara's side.

          "There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline," Katara told Aang.

          "Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord," Sokka suggested.

          "If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine. Go ahead and glow it up!" Katara shouted before leaving the room.

          "Katara, I'm just being realistic. I don't have time to do this the right way," Aang tried to explain as she left.

          "Really because it doesn't sound like Avatar Roku would want you to skip the important steps of learning the elements," Celina commented and then turned over in her bed. She was too tired to storm out of the room like Katara. Instead, she simply chose to ignore Aang and her brother by going to sleep.

* * *

          "And then he had the gall to say that he could teach Aang how to go into the Avatar State! I mean the nerve of that guy. How could he possibly know how the spiritual process of going into a state that allows Aang to connect to his past lives? And Aang agreed to it! He agreed to skip mastering the rest of the elements to go along with that general's stupid, selfish plan!" Celina complained as she sat down next to Bishamon's bedside, talking to both him and Ai.

          "That general is ignorant to believe he could accomplish that," Bishamon said. "It would be better for you to teach the Avatar about gaining control of the Avatar state."

          "You think I could do that?" Celina asked surprised.

          "Of course, you are a spirit. You would be the best to teach the Avatar about how to control such as spiritual state," Bishamon answered.

          "Plus it would rub it in his past lives faces'," Ai added in with a smirk.

          "Honey," Bishamon slightly scolded.

          "But how could I teach Aang when I hardly know anything about my spirit powers? The only time I've used them was at the North Pole and I had zero control over them. I barely remember what happened and then passed out right afterward," Celina asked.

          "Uh… that might be partially my fault," Bishamon admitted.

          "What?" Celina asked confused.

          "Bish," Ai scolded, upset that he possessed their daughter along with him using up more of his already depleted energy.

          "I just got angry when that bastard killed off Tui. Not only did he kill off a spirit but he killed off your waterbending master," Bishamon answered.

          "So the only reason I went into that spirit trance was because you possessed me?" Celina asked feeling hurt.

          "I just… I just wanted to finally be a father protecting his daughter. Celina, I only wanted to keep you safe," Bishamon explained. Celina's heart softened and she couldn't help but forgive him. Sure it was invasive but he had good intentions. "But believe me, I might have brought it on but you are a powerful spirit, you just need to find your power and utilize it."

          "How?" Celina asked.

          "Try meditating. Focus your mind and find your spirit power inside yourself," Ai answered. Celina nodded and noticed her body begin to flicker. They'd come to realize that this would happen whenever she was waking up.

          "Good luck, my little turtle duck," Bishamon wished.

          As her body flickered out for the last time a bright white light invaded Celina's vision for a second before she woke up in her bed at the Earth Kingdom base.

* * *

          Katara and Sokka went with Aang as General Fong tried different ways to get him into the Avatar state. Celina was surprised that Katara went to watch seeing as both of them disagreed with the "teaching" and how she was the one to storm out of the room the night before. Celina chose to find a quiet place and try meditating instead, taking her parents advice on trying to find her spirit powers. She sat in the lotus position for hours, trying to locate her spirit center but couldn't, having a hard time clearing her mind and concentrating.

          It was twilight when Celina decided to give up for the day and head back to the gang's room. She paused however when she came upon Aang and Katara having a conversation. Not wanting to interrupt them she kept her distance while listening in.

          "I'm really glad you told me that. But I still need to do this," Aang told Katara.

          "I don't understand," Katara said.

          "No, you don't. Every day more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war. I have to try it," Aang replied.

          "I can't watch you do this to yourself. I'm not coming tomorrow," Katara said quietly before walking off to their room.

          Aang watched her leave, sadness in his eyes. Celina decided to approach. "Hey," she greeted.

          "Hey," Aang repeated.

          "So, how was Avatar State training with General Fong?" Celina asked, trying to keep her disdain for the general out of her voice.

          "Not great. We haven't really gotten anywhere," Aang answered. "So where were you today? Healing more soldiers?"

          "No, I was… meditating," Celina replied.

          "Meditating? You don't meditate," Aang pointed out confused.

          "Yeah well, I have a lot of things I need to get a grasp on and hopefully meditating will help with that," she answered, being truthful with him but not revealing anything just yet.

          "Huh, maybe meditation is the key to unlocking the Avatar State," Aang pondered to himself. Celina sighed, not happy that he was still working on this. "You don't agree with this either do you?"

          "No. I understand where you're coming from in wanting to stop the war. You feel guilty that you've been gone for a hundred years and feel obligated to make up for it. But, Roku told you that you needed to master the rest of the elements in order to do that. And I agree with him, even though he creeps me out. The Avatar State you can work out along the way once you gain more control of yourself when you are out of it," Celina explained. Aang turned away from her, not liking that she was telling the truth. Celina sighed once again but didn't decide to push him on the subject any further. "I'm heading to bed. Goodnight, Aang."

          "Goodnight," Aang muttered, staying where he was.

* * *

          "So how did meditating go?" Ai asked as her followers brought in tea to Bishamon's room.

          "Not great," Celina answered, borrowing what Aang said earlier. She took a sip from her cup before continuing. "I just can't concentrate."

          "Well you do have a lot on your mind," Bishamon said.

          "Maybe you need to move along with all of the changes in your life," Ai suggested.

          "What do you mean?" Celina asked.

          "I mean maybe a change of wardrobe will help. I know I like to switch up my appearance after a big change happens. It helps show that I'm moving with the changes instead of staying in the past. You've done a little by keeping your hair down instead of putting it back up in that braid," Ai explained.

          Celina looked at her hair which remained down ever since the siege at the North Pole. She never thought of putting it back in a braid, finding herself liking how her wavy hair fell.

          "You just don't like her robes," Bishamon scoffed.

          "They're just so concealing! She inherited my gorgeous curves and it would be a shame to not show them off!" Ai complained before turning to Celina. "Let me just give you some new clothes, please."

          "I… I guess," Celina blushed.

          "Yay!" Ai cheered before pulling Celina off her chair and dragging her out of the room.

          "Nothing drastic, Ai! She's still my daughter and I don't want those human men getting any ideas!" Bishamon shouted after them.

          "Yeah, yeah," Ai replied, rolling her eyes at her husband.

          Ai shoved Celina behind a rice paper screen before gathering some clothes for her to put on. She set them on a stool and instructed Celina to change. When Celina was done changing she walked out from behind the screen, showing Ai her outfit.

          "Oh, you look so beautiful," Ai gushed.

          "I don't know," Celina said as she looked at herself in a mirror. These clothes were nothing like her robes. Her boots remained the same but everything else changed. Instead of leggings, she wore tight blue pants and instead of her dress she wore a sleeveless shirt that went down right to her butt. It definitely showed off her curves but was a bit too revealing than what Celina was used to. "It's all so… different."

          "You'll get used to them. Remember that change is good. Besides, this restricts your movements less than your other robes so it will be helpful with your bending," Ai told her. Celina took another look at herself in the mirror and noticed herself begin to flicker. "Looks like we won't get to show off your new outfit to your father. Oh well, next time. Good luck with meditating and try to relax darling, you'll get it eventually."

* * *

          When she woke up Celina peeled back her blanket to discover that her new clothes transformed over from the spirit world. It was insanely confusing how that worked, Celina hoped that it was a sign that her spirit powers were coming out. Looking around the room Celina was surprised to see that Katara was still in the room. Granted she did tell Aang she wouldn't go with him to his training but Celina thought that Katara would be at the infirmary.

          Katara was equally as surprised when she looked over at her sister but for different reasons. "What happened to your clothes?" Katara asked shocked.

          "I… I decided that a wardrobe change was in order," Celina somewhat lied.

          "Well, you look good but I'm confused, you went to bed in one thing and then woke up in another," Katara said.

          Celina winced at Katara's observation but relaxed her shoulders. She needed to relax and accept all the things that happened. Perhaps telling Katara and the other about it would help her. "I think my few days are up," Celina replied. Katara's eyes widened realizing what Celina was about to tell her.

          "Should I go get the other?" Katara asked.

          "No, I'll tell them later. I just need to get this out. Back in the North Pole, when I was in the Spirit World, I learned that…" Celina began to tell her but paused when the room shook. The two girls looked up at the ceiling, wondering what was going on.

          "I wonder what crazy thing they're trying now," Katara muttered.

          "Whatever it is I don't think it's good. I can tell you my secrets later. We should go check on them," Celina said. Katara nodded and the two girls took off towards the courtyard. They hurried out, meeting up with Sokka as they exited the tower, to discover that General Fong and his men were attacking Aang.

          "What's going on?" Katara asked Sokka.

          "The general's gone crazy. He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar State!" Sokka answered.

          The three of them watched as Aang ran between two groups of soldiers. Sokka pulled out his boomerang and managed to take out two soldiers. Celina went to take care of more soldiers while Katara targeted General Fong.

          "Maybe you can avoid me, but she can't," Fong called out to Aang. Katara threw a stream of water at him but General Fong caught the mud with a patch of dirt, creating mud. He took up a fighting stance and aimed it at Katara who was spun around and began to sink into the ground.

          "I can't move!" Katara grunted as she struggled to escape.

          "Don't hurt her!" Aang shouted. As Aang moved closer General Fong sunk her lower into the ground.

          "Aaahh!" Katara shrieked.

          "Katara!" Celina and Sokka cried out. They both went to help her. Sokka went to attack him with an ostrich horse but Fong sank the feet of the ostrich horse which sent Sokka flying into the opening in the rocks the soldiers attacked them with. Celina tried herself but his men turned their attention on her causing Celina to go on the offensive.

          "Stop this! You have to let her go," Aang begged.

          "You can save her if you were in the Avatar State," General Fong said maliciously.

          Aang closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on going into the Avatar State while tears streamed down his face. "I'm trying… I'm trying!" Aang cried.

          "Aang, I'm sinking!" Katara called out.

          "I don't see glowing," General Fong mocked and pushed Katara further into the ground.

          "You don't need to do this!" Aang cried out in hysterics.

          "Apparently I do," Fong said and then completely sank Katara into the ground.

          Celina and Sokka watched in horror as Aang tried one last time to save her before she disappeared into the ground. With Celina felt a strong spiritual hum as Aang went into the Avatar State. Angry Aang turned and glared at Fong as he stood.

          "It worked. It worked!" General Fong celebrated.

          A strong blast of wind hit Fong as Aang stood in front of him. Seeing Aang in all his uncontrollable Avatar State Fong's smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by a terrified expression. Aang launched an attack, sending Fong flying backwards towards the base of the tower. He then proceeded to lift himself up in a vortex of dirt.

          "Avatar Aang, can you hear me?! Your friend is safe!" Fong called out to Aang before raising Katara from the earth. Celina and Sokka were quick to rush over to their little sister who was trying to catch her breath. "It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State, and it worked!"

          Dragging Katara away from the general the siblings looked up at Aang who suddenly collapsed the vortex, slamming into the ground and causing a cloud of dust to shot forward. Fong was sent flying back while large chunks of earth rose from the ground, sending the soldiers into the air. The wave of rock and dust crashed into the base's building. Celina, Sokka, and Katara clung to each other, hoping to stay together during the blast. When the air cleared Celina looked over at Aang to see his spirit float out of his body and get picked up by Roku and his dragon before flying him away.

          "Roku? Fang?" Celina muttered confused.

          "What's going on?" Sokka asked.

          "Roku just picked up Aang's spirit and flew him away," Celina informed her siblings.

          He wasn't gone long though. After a minute or two, Celina saw Fang fly down to the base and return Aang's spirit to his body. Once that happened his body went limp as his Avatar State ended. Katara was quick to run over to Aang and embrace him.

          "I'm sorry, Katara. I hope you never have to see me like that again," Aang said tired and remorseful.

          "Ha! Are you joking? That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that," General Fong said, walking towards them.

          "You're out of your mind," Aang glared at him.

          "I guess we'll have to figure that out on the way to the Fire Nation," Fong ignored him.

          "I am so sick of you thinking that you know everything about something as spiritual as the Avatar State," Celina growled and summoned her water. She used her weight and threw all of her water at General Fong, pushing him up onto a wall and freezing him there. "If you or your men ever try that with Aang or my sister or any of us ever again I won't hesitate to end you. I've killed one military higher up already, don't make that number increase." General Fong nodded rapidly, scared by Celina's threat. Glaring at him Celina released him from her ice and returned it to her water skin. She turned her attention on the soldiers. "Anybody have a problem with that?" The shook their head and backed away.

          Celina looked over to see that Sokka, Katara, and Aang were staring at her in shock of what she revealed. "Come on guys. Let's jump on Appa and head to Omashu. I have a lot to tell you," Celina sighed. The three nodded and hurried onto Appa, wanting nothing more to leave the Earth Kingdom base.

          Once they were up in the air and flying away Sokka turned to his sister. "What was that back there?! What's going on?! You killed someone?!" he exclaimed. Celina couldn't help but wince at the harshness in his voice.

          "Is it true? Did you kill Admiral Zhao back at the North Pole?" Katara asked, shocked that her sister could do such a thing.

          "I think I should start at the beginning," Celina said. The three of them nodded, wanting to hear everything that she was keeping from them. "When Aang and I went into the Spirit World back at the North Pole I was taken somewhere else by Roku's dragon, Fang. He took me to this temple where I met… my parents."

          "Wait, what?" Sokka asked confused.

          Aang's eyes widened, realizing what Celina was getting at. "Your parents are spirits," he stated. "Who?"

          "Ai the Spirit of Love and Bishamon the Spirit of War," Celina answered, shying away a bit.

          "So you're actually a spirit?" Katara asked.

          "Surprised me too," Celina confirmed. Sokka, Katara, and Aang took a moment to stare at her, taking in the information.

          "But wait, what does that have to do with you killing Zhao? Did you go into a spirit rampage or something?" Sokka asked, breaking the silence.

          "Yeah, my father possessed me because he was angry at Zhao. He used my spirit powers to kill him," Celina explained.

          "That must have been intense," Katara commented, moving over to comfort her sister.

          "I barely remember anything that happened. One moment I'm in the Spirit Oasis with you guys and the next I'm waking up in an empty house, somehow knowing that I killed Zhao. It's all been… really overwhelming," Celina said, wiping a stray tear that managed to make its way down her face.

          Seeing her becoming emotional Sokka and Katara hugged Celina. She might be a spirit and she might not be their biological sister but that didn't matter. To them, she was their big sister who was going through a lot and needed comfort. Aang got up from the driver's seat and joined them; remembering how overwhelmed he felt when he found out that he was the Avatar. Celina hugged them back as she burst into tears, letting her pent up feelings break free at last.


	2. The Cave of Two Lovers

          The gang decided to take a break from flying to Omashu when they landed near a nice river. It was to give Appa a break along with giving Aang a chance to practice his waterbending. The Water Tribe siblings striped down to their wrappings while Aang simply stripped off his shirt and boots. Wading through the water Celina hoisted herself up onto a rock and got comfortable. She asked Katara to take care of Aang's waterbending lesson today as she wanted to meditate.

          Celina hoped being surrounded by her element would help to reach her spirit powers deep inside her. Taking a deep breath she sat down on the rock and began meditating. Sokka, Katara, and Aang watched as water rose up from the river and created a sphere around Celina as she meditated. Even knowing her master status since the North Pole her waterbending still surprised and impressed them. Shaking their attention away from Celina, Katara and Aang went to practicing while Sokka simply relaxed on the river with Momo sitting on his stomach.

          They stayed in the water for a while. Aang managed to be pretty successful with his lesson, making Katara proud of her teaching abilities. Celina, however, was having no luck unlocking her spirit. She used her meditating to search through her body, trying to find anything that would resemble her spirit powers but wasn't able to find anything. Celina let out a sigh as she opened her eyes and watched the sphere of water return to the river.

          "So, uh, any luck with your spirit stuff?" Aang asked.

          "No," Celina answered. "I wish I knew what I was looking for exactly."

          "I'm sure you'll get it," he replied, trying to be encouraging.

          Celina gave him a small smile in thanks though she still felt disheartened. Before she had time to stew in that however music filled the air, causing the gang to look around for its source.

_"Don't fall in love with a traveling girl.  
She'll leave you broke and broken hearted"_

          Coming towards the shore of the river was a group of travelers dressing in pastels and flowers, several of them playing music while the others danced. The troupe stopped the music as they noticed the gang hanging out in the river.

          "Hey! River people!" the man playing the guitar smiled and pointed at them.

          "We're not river people," Katara told him.

          "You're not? Well then what kind of people are ya?" the man asked confused.

          "Just… people," Aang replied.

          "Aren't we all, brother?" the man said pleased. Sokka marched out of the water and up to the man from the troupe. Momo flew up and perched himself on Sokka's shoulder.

          "Who are you?" Sokka asked accusingly.

          "I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lily," the man explained and gestured to a woman. "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!"

          "You guys are nomads? That's great! I'm a nomad," Aang said excited.

          "Hey, me too," Chong replied.

          "We know, you just said that," Celina said flatly.

          "Oh," Chong said and then looked back at Sokka. "Nice underwear."

          Feeling embarrassed Sokka grabbed Momo and placed the lemur in front of his crotch before he slinked away from Chong's eyes.

          "Maybe we should get dressed," Celina said to Katara and Aang who nodded in agreement before the three of them got out of the water.

* * *

          The nomads sat with Celina, Katara, and Aang on Appa as the nomads braided flowers in Appa's fur and the girls' hair. It was quite relaxing as one of the nomads weaved flowers into Celina's hair, the woman choosing to let it flow down her back instead of pulling it into a braid. Everything was nice and peaceful for once as flowers were woven in hair along with Chong playing music. That was interrupted however when Sokka practically stomped over to them.

          "Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere," Aang told the older boy.

          "Well, not everywhere, Little Arrowhead. But where we haven't been we've heard about through stories and songs," Chong corrected. One look at her brother's face and Celina knew he wasn't a fan of the nomads or their songs and stories.

          "They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler," Aang said excited.

          "On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow," Moku, one of the nomads, sighed dreamily.

          "Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Celina and Katara are busy I guess it's up to me," Sokka said. Both girls glared at their brother. Sokka repressed the urge to flinch and continued on. "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows."

          "Whoa… sounds like someone's got a case of destination fever, heh. You're worried too much about where you're going," Chong said.

          "You've gotta focus less on the where and more on the going," Lily told Sokka.

          "O. Ma. Shu," Sokka enunciated, getting more and more impatient with each syllable he pronounced.

          Celina sighed and stood up, halting the woman from weaving more flowers into her hair. "Sokka's right. We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe," she told the nomads.

          "Well, sounds like you're headed to Omashu," Chong said, causing Sokka to facepalm loud enough that Celina could hear the smack. "There's an old story about a secret pass… right through the mountains."

          "Is this real or a legend?" Katara asked skeptically.

          "Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as earthbending itself," Chong answered and began to play his guitar.

_"Two lovers,_   
_Forbidden from one another._   
_A war divides their people,_   
_And a mountain divides them apart._   
_Built a path to be together…"_

          "Yeah, and I forgot the next couple of lines, but then it goes…" Chong paused and then continued with his song.

_"Secret tunnel!_   
_Secret tunnel!_   
_Through the mountain!_   
_Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!_   
_Yeah!"_

          Celina, Katara, and Aang applauded the performance that the nomads put on while Sokka stood there fuming, looking more miserable the more he spent time with the nomads.

          "I think we'll just stick with flying. We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine," Sokka said, dismissing Chong and the secret tunnel.

          "Yeah. Thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground and we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable," Aang told them, smiling at the sky bison.

* * *

          The gang tried flying to Omashu but unfortunately for them, they encountered two lineups of Fire Nation catapults that fired at them. This put Appa in extreme distress as he tried to dodge the flying fireballs. After continuous dodging, the gang headed back to the nomads, covered in ash, for them to take them to the secret tunnel much to the disappointment of Sokka.

          "How far are we from the tunnel?" Sokka asked impatient as the group of them walked.

          "Actually, it's not just one tunnel. The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth," Chong explained.

          "Labyrinth!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "I'm sure we'll figure it out," Chong said calmly.

          "All you need to do is trust in love. According to the curse," Lily told them nonchalantly.

          Sokka stopped walking hearing this. "Curse!" Sokka shouted in exasperation.

          "Come on, Sokka, I'm sure it's nothing," Celina tried to reassure him as she grabbed his arm and pulled him along with the rest of the group.

          It didn't take that much more walking until the group reached a large moss covered entrance to the tunnel in the cliff face. It was so big that Appa would be able to fit in it with no problem.

          "What exactly is this curse?" Sokka asked worried.

          "The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise, you'll be trapped in them forever," Chong explained.

          "And die," Lily added.

          "Oh yeah, and die. Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song," Chong said and pulled out his guitar.

_"And die!"_

          "That's it! There's no way we're going through some cursed hole!" Sokka refused aggravated. He turned around to head away from the nomads when they all spotted a shaft of black smoke in the distance.

          "Hey, someone's making a big campfire!" Moku pointed out cheerfully.

          "That's no campfire, Moku," Katara said.

          "That's Fire Nation. They're tracking us," Sokka informed the nomads.

          "And it looks like they're getting closer," Celina said.

          "So all you need is to trust in love to get through these caves?" Aang asked Chong.

          "That is correct, Master Arrowhead," Chong answered.

          Celina watched as Aang looked over at Katara and wondered what happened recently that caused Aang's feelings to increase for her sister. Sure, Celina knew that Aang liked Katara as more than just a friend but the way he was looking at her now almost reminded her of the way she'd catch Bishamon looking at Ai or how Hakoda looked at Kya when she was still alive.

          "We can make it," Aang claimed, determined.

          "Everyone into the hole!" Sokka shouted, not caring about the curse with the Fire Nation right on their trail. Once they entered the cave however he turned to Celina as they walked together. "Can you believe this? How can someone trust in love so much to get us through this?"

          "I kinda have to seeing who my mother is," Celina muttered, not wanting the nomads to hear her. She didn't need people knowing about her spirit status.

          "What does mom have to do with any of this?" Sokka asked confused.

          "I said 'my mother' not 'our mother'," Celina corrected him.

          Sokka almost tripped when he realized what Celina was saying. It was still hard to believe who really Celina was. For his entire life, she'd always been his sister who'd run to their mom when the villagers made fun of her. The sister he would tease but always be there for when she needed him. The one who would play the mediator between him and Katara when they argued. And the same girl who encouraged Katara to keep at it with her waterbending. She was always a part of their family. Celina had always been their sister.

          It was hard seeing who Celina really was now. Even Katara admitted this to him after they found out about Celina's secret. Their parents were never really her parents. Her parents were actually spirits. For so long she'd just been their shy sister, but now she was a spirit. A spirit who actually killed a person. It was hard for him and Katara to wrap their heads around. They wondered if Celina still considered them her siblings after everything that happened.

          The group was distracted from heading into the tunnel that it came as a sudden surprised when it sounded like the tunnel was caving in. They turned around to see several Fire Nation tanks yanking down rocks to block the entrance. It didn't take long until the entire entrance was blocked off and the only light the group had left was from a single torch. Appa freaked out as he ran to the wall of rock and tried to dig his way out. Celina walked up to the bison and ran her hands through his fur.

          "It's okay, Appa. We'll be fine," Celina cooed to the bison, trying to calm him down. She began humming to him knowing that it usually worked when she tried calming him down in the past.

          "We will," Sokka reinforced her statement. "All we need is a plan. Chong, how long do those torches last?"

          "Eh, about two hours each," Chong answered.

          "And we have five torches so that's ten hours," Lily calculated and mindlessly lit the other four torches.

          Sokka quickly ran over and stomped out the fire. "It doesn't work like that if they're all li at the same time!" he told her.

          "Ohh, right," Lily replied a bit spacey.

          "I'm going to make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through," Sokka thought up, pulling out a piece of paper to write on. He marked where they currently were on the map and then began leading the way through the tunnel.

* * *

          The group had been walking around for two hours and ran into several dead ends. It seemed like they weren't getting anywhere.

          "Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to," Katara complained.

          "This doesn't make any sense. We already came through this way," Sokka said confused as he looked at his hand-drawn map.

          "We don't need a map. We just need love. The little guys knows it," Chong piped in.

          "Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map, also," Aang admitted.

          "There's something strange here. There's only one explanation. The tunnels are changing," Sokka told the group.

          "The tunnels… they're a-changin'. Ah, it must be the curse. I knew we shouldn't have come down here," Chong freaked out.

          "Right. If only we listened to you," Sokka replied sarcastically.

          "Shhh! Everyone be quiet. Listen," Celina hushed them having heard a strange noise. Everyone quieted down and looked down the tunnel towards the approaching sound. From out of the pitch blackness of the tunnel a wolf bat flew right towards them, knocking over Sokka.

          "It's a giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong exclaimed as the wolf bat circled around the group.

          "No! It's a wolf bat," Moku informed him.

          The wolf bat landed on four legs and snarled at the group before launching back into the air and flies towards the group again. Sokka tried to burn the animal with the torch but failed as the wolf bat knocked it out of his hand, causing the torch to land on Appa's toe. Appa reared up and cried out in pain as he was burned. He ran around in anguish, hitting the cave walls and causing a cave in. Just as the roof collapsed Aang sent a blast of air at the nomads, Celina, and Sokka, knocking them back, while he tackled Katara the opposite way. When the dust settled the group discovered that they were separated from Aang, Katara, and Appa. Sokka ran over to the wall and began to frantically try and dig it out.

          "Yeah, it's no use. We're separated. But at least you have us, heh heh," Chong said calmly, causing Sokka to dig even more frantically. Celina hurried over and pulled him away from the cave in, stopping her brother before he could hurt himself.

          "Sokka, stop. There's no use. We just need to trust that Aang and Katara can make their way out on their own," she told him. "Come on we have to keep going." As they started walking Chong pulled out his guitar and started singing.

 _"Oh, don't let the cave in get you down_  
 _Don't let the falling rocks turn your smile into a frown._  
 _When the tunnels are darkest that's when you need a clown, hey!_  
 _Don't let the cave in_ get _you down, Sokka!"_

* * *

          "Oh, great! Your plans have led us to another dead end!" Moku complained. Ever since they'd been separated from Aang and Katara, Sokka continued to lead them through the tunnels with his map. Celina was beginning to feel like they should ditch the map altogether. They were wandering blind already, might as well get rid of the thing that Sokka was getting all the blame for.

          "At least I'm thinking of ideas and trying to get us out of here, Moku," Sokka snapped defensively.

          "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. We're thinking of ideas! 'Cause I've had an idea for, like, an hour now," Chong told them.

          Celina put a hand over Sokka's mouth seeing he was about to explode. She'd quickly become the mediator between the nomads and Sokka. "Yes. How about you tell us your idea, Chong," Celina said, calmly.

          "Well, then listen to this: if love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song," Chong suggested. Sokka smacked his forehead as Chong began playing music, causing Momo to fly from Sokka's head to Celina's shoulder. As they began walking through the caves Chong started singing.

 _"Even if you're lost you can't_  
 _Lose the love because it's in your heart,_  
oooooooohhhhh _"_

          "Maybe I should contact my mother," Celina muttered, trying to think of ways to help. "If love really is the answer to get out of the tunnels then I'm sure the spirit of love would be able to help."

          Sokka flinched as he was reminded of Celina's heritage but tried to quickly cover up his uncomfortableness. "Uh… sure, next dead end we can try," he replied.

          "You okay?" Celina asked, seeing how Sokka was acting weird.

          "Yeah, just tired from all this singing," Sokka brushed off and walked ahead of her, leaving Celina a bit confused.

* * *

          The music continued on for a while until the group heard an ominous noise echoed through the darkness. Momo huddled into Celina's hair, frightened by the noise. From out of the darkness a large pack of wolf bats flew towards them. Sokka started flailing about as the pack flew over the group and down the tunnel.

          "Hey-hey, you saved us, Sokka!" Chong said happily.

          "No, they were trying to get away from something," Sokka noticed.

          "From what?" Chong asked.

          Behind the group, rocks exploded and the tunnels around them quaked. A huge badger mole appeared from the dust. Surprise spread across the groups' faces as another explosion happened behind them, revealing another badger mole, surrounding them. Celina was quick to go into a defense mood in order to protect the nomads and her brother. Going to what she normally did to calm animals down Celina began to hum. The badger moles cocked their heads to the side as they listened. She felt the energy in the caves calm down as she continued to hum.

          "Hey, those things are music lovers!" Chong smiled.

          "It's okay. We're not here to hurt you. All we want is to get out of these tunnels," Celina explained to them. "Do you think you can help us?" The badger moles nodded and motioned for them to climb up onto their backs. Celina turned to the group, "They're going to help us get out of here. Everybody climb on a badger mole." Celina, Sokka, and Momo climbed up on one of the badger moles while the nomads climbed on top of the other.

          "So is the whole calming animals down… a spirit thing?" Sokka asked hesitantly as the badger moles dug them out of the tunnels.

          "I guess," Celina shrugged.

          "Well… I guess that would explain why you gravitated more towards animals," Sokka said.

          "Yeah, that's the reason. Not like the people were any better company," Celina replied sarcastically. "At least I had you and Katara though, plus mom before she died."

          Sokka looked at her shocked. "You still call our mom, mom?" Sokka asked surprised.

          "Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Celina replied.

          "I thought you wouldn't consider us family anymore now that you found out that you're a spirit," Sokka admitted sadly.

          "Sokka, I will always be your sister. It doesn't matter that I have parents who are spirits. I love both you and Katara. You two will always be my annoying little brother and sister, no matter what," Celina assured him.

          A smile spread across Sokka's face as he hugged Celina, happy to have his worries taken away. "Thanks, sis," he muttered a few happy tears slipping down his face.

          "No problem, bro," Celina chuckled, hugging him back.

* * *

          The badger moles had the group out of the cave in no time and Celina and Sokka were happy to see that Katara, Aang, and Appa made it out on their own. Celina and Sokka quickly slide down from the badger mole they were on and ran over to their sister, enveloping her in a hug.

          "How did you guys get out?" Sokka asked her and Aang.

          "Just like the legend says: we let love lead the way," Aang answered, sneaking a look at Katara.

          "Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way," Sokka replied.

          "After I asked nicely," Celina explained and then turned back to the badger moles. "Thanks again!" The badger moles nodded in response before they turned around and went back in the holes they created, closing them with their earthbending powers as they left.

          "Why is your forehead all red? And why does it look like you were crying?" Katara asked Sokka.

          "Men don't cry," Sokka protested, hurriedly wiping away the remanding tears.

          "Let's just say our family bond hasn't been broken just because I'm who I am," Celina told her. A huge smile spread across Katara's face as she ran into her sister's embrace. The first part of Katara's question was answered when Chong walked up to them.

          "Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you. I think that kid might be the Avatar," Chong whispered, dead serious. Sokka smacked his head in response.

          "Yes, we know, Chong," Celina told him.

          "Oh… okay," Chong brushed off. He took off his flower necklace and then put it around Sokka's neck. "Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey."

          "Just play your songs," Sokka said sullenly.

          "Hey, good plan!" Chong said before pulling out his guitar and starting to sing.

_"Even if you're lost you can't_   
_lose the love because it's in your heart._   
_Ooooooohhhhhh…"_

          The gang watched as the nomads headed out though Celina couldn't help but catch a glance shared between Katara and Aang that caused Katara to blush. She'd have to ask her about what happened while they were in the tunnel later.

* * *

          The gang decided to continue on the rest of the way to Omashu on foot seeing as there wasn't the much long left. They just needed to get up this small mountain and they were there.

          "The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's really about. The destination," Sokka said as he led the way. When he reached the top of the hill Sokka was excited to present them with their destination and he started to but something caused his expression to change. "I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O… Oh, no."

          When the others reached the top of the hill they gasped seeing what Sokka already saw. In front of them was the devastated city of Omashu, smoke rising up from places that had been set on fire. And right on the front entrance hung a Fire Nation flag.


	3. Return to Omashu

          The gang just stood where they were, staring at the fallen city in horror. It was on the steps of being in ruins as smoke came up from several places and scaffolding kept walls and buildings up. It almost seemed unreal. They had just been to Omashu a few months ago, it was insane seeing it go from normal to… this.

          "I can't believe it. I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed… untouchable," Aang observed.

          "Up until now, it was. Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left," Sokka said.

          "This is horrible, but we have to move on," Katara decided.

          "No. I'm going in to find Bumi," Aang told them firmly.

          "Aang, stop. We don't even know if Bumi's still…" Sokka started but one look from Aang, along with an elbow to the ribs from Celina, stopped him from finishing his sentence.

          "What? If he's still what?" Aang asked defiantly.

          "…around," Sokka finished, not being able to meet Aang's eyes.

          "I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people around who can teach you earthbending," Katara tried to tell him.

          "This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend," Aang said.

          "Then count us in then," Celina told the young monk. "Who knows, maybe we can save the people of Omashu from whatever the Fire Nation has done to them." Aang gave Celina a thankful smile before the gang headed down towards the city.

* * *

          Aang led the group down to the city's deep moat where a drain pipe stuck out from the rock, runoff draining from the pipe.

          "A secret passage?" Sokka observed. "Why didn't we just use this last time?" It was the cap of the pipe popped off that Sokka got his answer, the pipe releasing a huge burst of greenish sewage. Some of which got on Sokka.

          "Does that answer your question?" Aang asked.

          The four of them climbed into the pipe as it continued to pour out the sewage. Aang took the front, leading them through the pipes, using his airbending to bend the sewage away from him. Celina and Katara followed right behind him, waterbending the disgusting liquid away from them. Sokka ended up falling behind in the back, with no bending of his own he had to fight his way through the muck. It took them a while to get through but eventually, Aang led them towards a manhole cover that would get them up into the city. Using his airbending once again Aang managed to blow the manhole cover up, allowing for him to push it to the side. He jumped out with Celina and Katara following behind him.

          "That wasn't as bad as I thought," Katara commented.

          Then they saw Sokka or the blob of sewage that was now Sokka. "Oh, sorry, Sokka," Celina apologized and then got some fresh water to bend of the sewage from his body.

          Aang helped afterward, using his airbending to dry the Water Tribe boy. With Sokka all cleaned and dried off it was revealed to him and the rest of the group that two pentapi were stuck to his face. Sokka immediately freaked out after discovering them.

          "Aaaahhh!" he shouted, grabbing the creatures and trying to pull them from his face. "Aaahh! Aaahh! They won't let go! Help Aaak!"

          "Sokka, quiet," Celina shushed her brother, not wanting to alert any Fire Nation soldiers to where they were.

          Aang acted, pouncing on Sokka and pinning him to a nearby wall. "It's just a purple pentapus," he informed Sokka.

          Aang reached up and rubbed the head of a pentapus. When he did this the pentapus released its tentacles from Sokka's cheek. Sokka copied what Aang did with the other before handing it to Celina to gush over it. Aang did the same. Celina did not disappoint as she held them in both her hands, holding them up close to her face.

          "Aw, they're so cute," Celina cooed.

          She could have sworn that the pentapi smiled in delight, hearing the compliment. It wasn't until she heard Fire Nation soldiers approaching that she returned the pentapi to their home. The Water Tribe siblings surrounded Aang for a moment to allow him to come up with a disguise that turned out to be a simple hat to cover his tattoos. Just in time as the Fire Nation guards arrived.

          "What are you kids doing out past curfew?" one of the guards asked.

          "Sorry. We were just on our way home," Katara apologized, coming up with a quick story. The gang turned around and began to walk away when one of the guards noticed the red marks left from the pentapi.

          "Wait! What's the matter with him?" one of the guards asked, causing the gang to stop.

          Celina was quick to come up with an excuse, putting her hand on her brother's shoulder. "He has pentapox, sir," she told the guard. "And it's highly contagious so I wouldn't get closer." The guards hesitated to come closer and it was then caught on and began acting ill. He raised his hands like a zombie as he began to moan.

          "Uhhhhhhh… It's so awful… I'm dying," Sokka played up. He lurched forwards towards the guards who hurriedly backed away to avoid being touched by him.

          "Wait, I think I've heard of pentapox. Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?" one of the guards asked the other. Sokka advanced once again, coughing at them.

          "We'd better go wash our hands… and burn our clothes!" the other guard responded before the two of them ran off.

          With the guards gone Sokka stood up straight, stopping the sick act. Celina looked down at the entrance of the sewer and smiled at the pentapi who clung to the rim of the entrance.

          "Thank you, sewer friends," she smiled.

* * *

 

          The gang then made their way through the city, trying their best to stay out of sight of any Fire Nation soldiers. So they moved in the shadows of construction material set up throughout the city. They were currently still hiding from a group of guards passed by.

          "Let's find Bumi and get out of here," Katara whispered.

          "Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka asked.

          "Somewhere he can't earthbend," Aang answered. "Somewhere made of metal."

          "Well, it's a good thing that night is falling. It will make it easier to sneak through this place. We better get moving if we wanna find him before daybreak," Celina commented.

          The others nodded and they continued to make their way through Omashu. They were walking along the middle tier of a tall building under construction when they heard something falling. Turning around they saw a landslide of rock heading straight down towards a group of people passing by on the lower tier. Thinking quickly Aang raised his staff and used his airbending to pulverize the rocks into dust, saving the party down below. There was a moment of silence as the two groups looked at each other.

          "The resistance!" a woman from the party below cried out.

          A teenage girl who was with the group below reached into her sleeves and sent a hail of small arrows at Aang. He swiftly dodged the arrows before the gang ran, not wanting to stick around for more. Unfortunately for them, Fire Nation soldiers were already making their way towards them along with the teenage girl. Celina and Katara bended the water from their water skins and whipped the soldiers off the ledge and into the plaza below.

          That didn't stop the girl though. She continued running at Celina and Katara, choosing to go for the older girl first. Celina got a good look at the girl. She was definitely Fire Nation, though from her use of small arrows and knives that she through it was clear she wasn't a bender. She had black hair which she kept partially up in two small buns on the side of her head. Her clothes were all dark in color, muting the red tones the Fire Nation was known for. She looked as though she was bored and miserable, finding it hard to be entertained by anything. Even with the ongoing fight she was in. The girl also looked to be around Celina's age.

          Not that it mattered as the Fire Nation girl sent a hail of knives at Celina who quickly created a wall of ice for the knives to embed themselves in instead of her or Katara. The waterbending girls ran passed Aang who took control trying to get the Fire Nation girl off them. As she approached Aang caused some of the construction scaffolding on his right to collapse between them. The girl managed to get a throwing star through which Aang used his staff to dodge. As the dust from the collapsed scaffolding cleared it gave the Fire Nation girl another chance to send her arrows at them. Luckily for the gang, the ground opened up beneath them, saving them from the girl's arrows.

* * *

          The four of them fell through a tunnel until they came upon a large open area with green sewage dripping from the ceiling. They groaned as they sat up after landing roughly on the ground. As a shadow fell over them the group looked up to see a bearded Earth Kingdom soldier standing above them. Seeing as they were safe amongst Earth Kingdom soldiers the group let out a sigh of relief and stood up.

          "I'm guessing that you were the one who saved us from the crazy girl with the knives?" Sokka asked.

          "Yes, you guys certainly got yourself in a lot of trouble up there," the man replied.

          "Yeah, that happens often with us," Celina commented.

          "Well thank you for saving us back there," Aang said to the man.

          "Come, I'll take you four to the main base of the resistance," the man said, taking charge.

          The group followed him to a large opening which was lit by several lamps hanging from the wall. Seeing the number of people down there the gang was thankful that they were around so many allies. Scanning the crowd of people Aang was confused when he didn't see someone.

          "So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?" Aang asked the man.

          "Of course not! The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city… to fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered," the man explained with a quiet intensity.

          "What?! That can't be right," Aang exclaimed in shock.

          The man, the leader of the resistance, sighed and began his explanation. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eyes and said 'I'm going to do… nothing!'" he explained. Aang looked really saddened by his news. "But it doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

          "Actually there's another path to freedom. You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation," Aang said, pushing aside his feelings around Bumi to do his Avatar duty and help these people. "But you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat, so you can live to fight another day."

          "You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!" the resistance leader told them.

          "I don't know, living to fight another day is startin' to sound pretty good to me," one of the resistance fighters piped up.

          "Yeah, I'm with the kid," another resistance fighter joined in.

          "You can still work towards your cause but the smart thing to do is recognizing when to walk away and gather yourselves to fight another day," Celina told the leader.

          Taking in their words the Resistance Leader looked down into the cavern where the other resistance fighters and Omashu citizens whispered in agreement towards Aang's idea.

          "Fine," the leader submitted. "But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?"

          They thought for a little while before Sokka had an idea. "Suckers!" he exclaimed, causing the rest of the group to look at him strangely.

          "You're gonna have to be more specific, bro," Celina told him.

          "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox," Sokka explained. The resistance leader and the two fighters looked at him confused while the rest of the gang smiled at the brilliant idea.

* * *

          It took a while for the resistance to collect enough pentapi but in the end, they gathered buckets of them to aide in their escape plan. People were taking the small creatures from the bucket and then stuck them to their sick, creating the small marks that the gang had seen before when the pentapi stuck themselves to Sokka. Katara was helping Celina with the pentapi she was using, they were having a difficult time letting go at first.

          "These guys really like you," Katara commented as she managed to get the last pentapus off her sister.

          "The marks make ya look sick, but you gotta  _act_  sick too. You gotta sell it," Sokka explained to the people. An old man walked between Sokka and the crowd, groaning pathetically and holding his hand on his back. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

          "Years of practice," the old man smiled at Sokka.

          "Okay, everyone! Into sick formation," Sokka called out.

          The group of citizens and Sokka began heading towards the entrance of Omashu, acting violently ill as they walked. Celina and Katara were about to join them when they noticed Aang hadn't even gotten the spots on. He began walking in the opposite direction actually.

          "Aang, what are you going? Aren't you coming with us?" Katara asked confused.

          "No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi," he told the girls.

          "Well be careful. If you can't find him once night falls please meet back up with us," Celina said.

          Aang nodded in agreement and then went on his way. Celina and Katara ran to catch up with the group before falling into the sick act. As they approached the guards at the gate backed away from them in fear, terrified at what was before them.

          "Plague! Plague!" a Fire Nation soldier cried out before turning and running away.

          It was a little while of the large group of people standing around the gate, still putting up the sick act before the guards got word to open the gate and let them out. The soldiers quickly ran away from the gate as the group proceeded out, trying to make sure they didn't get anywhere close to the sick people. Once the group was far away from the city the people celebrated their escape before setting up camp for the night.

* * *

          Night had fallen when Aang arrived at the camp, riding on Flopsie. The Water Tribe siblings got up from their places by the fire to greet the young Airbender and Bumi's pet.

          "We looked everywhere. No Bumi," Aang told them sadly.

          Katara hugged Aang while Celina and Sokka hugged Flopsie who was whining sadly, missing his master. Celina began to hum softly, trying to calm the creature down. The Resistance Leader interrupted the moment.

          "We've got a problem. We just did a head count," he informed the gang.

          "Oh no. Did someone get left behind?" Katara asked worried.

          "No, we have an extra," the resistance leader told them and pointed at a baby who was currently attached to Momo.

          "Well that's not good," Celina commented as the five of them watched.

          Seeing the lemur's plight Celina walked over and removed the baby from Momo, saving him from the baby's clutches. The baby struggled in her arms for a bit, trying to get back to Momo, before stopping to listen to the song Celina started to hum, cooing sweetly at her. It was still strange, children not running away from her like they did back in the South Pole. But nice to see that kids, and people in general, would actually smile at her from time to time, not look at her like a freak.

          Finding that they couldn't do much the group sat down around the fire, watching over the baby as he wandered from Celina's arms to play with Sokka's club. Sokka angrily took the club away from her.

          "No! Bad Fire Nation baby!" he scolded causing the baby to cry. Katara glared at her brother and whacked his arm. Seeing what he did was wrong Sokka reluctantly gave his club back to the baby. "Oh… alright."

          The baby stopped crying and began to play with the club again. "Ooo, you're so cute," Katara gushed as she leaned over and hugged him from behind.

          "Sure he's cute now, but when he's older he'll join the Fire Nation army. You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer," the resistance leader told them.

          "Hopefully the war will end before that happens," Celina muttered to herself, stealing a glance at the Fire Nation baby.

          At that time a messenger hawk shrieked his arrived as he landed on a rock close by. Aang was quick to walk over and read the message brought by the hawk.

          "It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son. So he wants to make a trade. His son for King Bumi," Aang told them.

* * *

          The gang waited until morning to set out back towards Omashu, Aang carrying the governor's son in his arms.

          "You realize we're probably walking right into a trap?" Sokka said to Aang.

          "I don't think so. I'm sure the Governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi. It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this," Aang replied.

          "I hope you're right," Celina said as they continued into the city, using the same entrance they used before.

          It was noon when they finally made it to the meeting point, Aang handing over the baby in case a fight broke out. They agreed that the benders would do well against whoever they sent. The group was surprised to see that no Fire Nation soldiers met them. Instead, it was a group of three teenage girls. The knife throwing girl from before was flanked by a cheerful girl in pink and an intense looking girl wearing armor. She reminded Celina of Zuko. With this comparison in her mind, Celina couldn't help but tense, feeling that this wasn't going to go as planned. At least Aang still had his hat on, hiding his airbending tattoos. Once the trio of girls stopped a crane lowered a metal box which Bumi was trapped in, revealing only his head.

          "Hi, everybody!" Bumi laughed, seeing the gathering of the two groups.

          "You brought my brother?" the knife girl asked.

          "He's here. We're ready to trade," Aang answered.

          "I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" the Fire Nation princess looking girl interrupted.

          "Of course not, Princess Azula," the knife girl granted. Celina's heart sunk hearing that the girl was actually Zuko's sister, this defiantly wasn't going to go well.

          "We're trading a two year old for a king. A powerful, earthbending king. It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" Azula continued.

          "You're right," the knife girl decided. "The deal's off."

          She raised her hand in the air, signaling that Bumi be taken away.

          "Whhhoa! See you all later!" Bumi said as he was raised back up.

          "Bumi!" Aang cried out.

          Not giving up Aang rushed forward towards Bumi. As he approached Azula sent out a plume of blue fire towards Aang who jumped high in the air to avoid it. He landed on a partially constructed building and jumped off again, opening his glider in midair. When he did this, however, the hat hiding his tattoos fell off revealing who he was to the others.

          "The Avatar! My lucky day," Azula said surprised and then ran after Aang, using an elevator to get up towards him.

          While Aang tried to avoid Azula and free Bumi from his metal prison the two remaining girls charged at the Water Tribe siblings. The knife girl threw several blades at them while Katara bended a shield of ice to protect them as Sokka uses Aang's bison whistle to call for Appa.

          "We've gotta get the baby out of here," Celina shouted to them.

          "Way ahead of them!" Sokka replied.

          The siblings continued to run towards the end of the construction platform where they'd meet Appa. However, a fist came up and punched Sokka's foot, sending him sprawling to the edge of the platform. He tossed the baby to Celina who caught him before Sokka came close to falling off. The girl in pink jumped up from below and headed towards Sokka. Katara created a water whip and prepared to strike the girl but turned around just in time to raise some wood up in front of Celina protecting her and the baby from knife girl's knives.

          Celina's eyes met the girl's who showed no remorse what so ever for almost hitting her baby brother, almost killing him. Rage towards this girl built up inside of Celina. How could someone not care about their sibling? And a baby at that. How could that girl feel nothing about not getting her baby brother back and almost killing him? Celina wanted to whip the girl's ass with her waterbending for being so cruel towards her brother. But Katara stopped her.

          "Get the baby out of here. I'll take care of these guys," Katara shouted to her sister.

          Celina grimaced but nodded in agreement, running away from the ongoing fight. The knife girl sent more knives at Celina but once again Katara managed to stop them. Seeing the mail shoots nearby Celina hopped in one as a getaway. The baby clung to her, giggling as they slid down the shoots.

          "Don't worry, your sister might not care about you but I do," Celina said to the baby in her arms. "I'll get you back to your parents."

          Coming to the closest platform Celina jumped off the mail shoot and onto the platform. She turned and began to make her way towards the center of the city where the gang first met King Bumi. If the governor was going to be anywhere it would be his palace. Deciding that it would be more dangerous to go inside the palace Celina used her waterbending to help her scale the tiers of the building, using her water to lift her up. It was when she reached a balcony that she spotted the governor and his wife inside.

          "Excuse me," she said, alerting the two to her presence. The governor and his wife's head perked up as Celina walked into the room. Their eyes widening when they spotted their son in her arms. "I believe this little boy is yours."

          The governor's wife let out a gasp of joy as Celina handed the woman her baby. "Tom Tom!" she smiled.

          The governor embraced his family, happy for the safe return of his son. "Thank you for finding our son. But I don't understand. Mai was supposed to come back with him with the princess and Ty Lee," the governor said.

          "Mai? The girl with the knives? She canceled the deal and then almost killed your son throwing knives at me. I wanted to go knock some sense into her for not giving a snuck rat's ass about her brother but decided to get your son to safety. Some daughter you raised there," Celina informed the couple.

          "Mai did that?" the governor's wife asked in shock.

          "Yeah. I'd have a serious conversation with your daughter when she gets back," Celina said. "But I'll let you guys continue on with your reunion."

          Celina turned to leave but the governor stopped her. "Young lady, wait," he said. Walking over to a table the governor picked up a coin bag and handed it to Celina. "Take this for returning our son to us."

          Celina gave the couple a smile and then left, walking out of the room and jumping back off the balcony. She made her way down the palace and towards a mail shoot, hoping to find her siblings. Lucky for her Appa appeared right beside the mail shoot she was sliding down, Sokka and Katara with him.

          "Hop on!" Katara shouted to her sister. Jumping off the mail shoot Celina landed on Appa before they continued flying through Omashu.

          "Where's Aang?" she asked.

          "He's been running from Azula with King Bumi," Sokka explained. "We tried to catch them but we weren't able to reach them in time."

          "Where were you?" Katara asked her sister.

          "Just returning a little boy to his family. They rewarded me greatly," Celina answered and showed them the coin bag. "But we'll talk about that later, let's go find Aang."

          The Water Tribe siblings hurriedly looked around Omashu until they found Aang at the end of a mail shoot, with Bumi nowhere to be seen. Aang hoped into Appa's saddle and the gang flew away, wanting to get far away from the fallen city.

          "Where's Bumi?" Sokka asked.

          "He went back. He said something about waiting until the time was right," Aang explained.

          "So it looks like we have to find you another earthbending master," Celina said.

          "Well, we better get moving then," Sokka said and began steering Appa off in a direction, flying them off somewhere in the Earth Kingdom.


	4. The Swamp

          The gang had been flying for a few days not really knowing where to go in order to find Aang an earthbending master. Katara suggested that they stop by each other earthbending village they come across to check but they hadn't seen any villages since leaving Omashu. At least not in the direction Appa was flying at the moment. Boredom quickly took over as everyone tried to find something to occupy their time, except for Aang who was in the driver's seat. Sokka was sharpening his boomerang, Katara patching up a few rips in clothes, and Celina once again meditating to try and locate her spirit abilities. For the past hour or so she hadn't felt anything. But as they continued flying she began to feel something, an all too familiar hum that shouted spirit energy. A large smile spread Celina's face, thinking that she finally located it before she concentrated more on the energy. The smile was quickly replaced with a disappointed frown when she realized that the energy was in the air around her, not from inside. She couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh.

          "Hey, you takin' us down for a reason?" she heard Sokka ask. Opening her eyes Celina noticed that Aang was flying Appa lower into a swamp that they were currently flying over. Aang, who the question was directed to, didn't reply. "Aang! Why are we going down?"

          "I didn't even notice," Aang finally replied, having snapped out of whatever daydream he was having.

          "Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

          "I know this is gonna sound weird, but… I think the swamp is… calling to me," Aang told his friends.

          "Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?" Sokka asked half-jokingly, half serious.

          "No, I… I think it wants us to land there," Aang clarified.

          "No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on," Sokka replied.

          "I don't know… Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?" Aang asked.

          "Yes!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "I don't know… There's something ominous about that place," Katara said voicing her concerns.

          "That's because it's full of spiritual energy," Celina informed them. "I felt it once we started flying over. Got my hopes up thinking it was my own energy before realizing where it was coming from."

          "If it's full of spiritual energy then maybe I'll be able to contact Avatar Roku and find out where I'll find my earthbending teacher," Aang said hopeful.

          "I'm still not sure," Katara said uncertain.

          Celina tensed feeling a change in the air and hearing the rushing of wind come up from behind them. She turned around and saw the reason.

          "Sure or not we have other problems," she voiced before pointing at the newly formed tornado that was heading straight towards them.

          The gang gasped in fear before Aang took control of the situation and tried to steer Appa away from the approaching tornado. They tried to evade it as best as they could before it caught up with them. With the winds right on top of them, Sokka was the first to get blown off Appa's saddle. Celina and Katara quickly grabbed hold of Sokka's hands, trying to pull him back in, but they too were thrown out. Aang jumped up from the driver's seat and reached for his friends while simultaneously creating an air bubble to try and save them from the tornado's forces. Unfortunately, the winds were just too strong as they finally managed to rip the gang away from their animal companions, sending both parties off into the swamp.

          The Water Tribe siblings were the first to land, falling into swamp water. During their descent Celina quickly bended the water up to meet them mid-fall, making the landing easier. Aang followed soon after, using his airbending to cushion his landing. All of them looked around, worry in their eyes.

          "Where's Appa and Momo?" Aang asked concerned before leaping up into the trees and calling out to them, only to receive no response. He climbed back down looking sullen.

          "You couldn't find them?" Katara asked.

          "No… and the tornado… it just disappeared," Aang told them.

          "We better get moving then if we want to find them before dark," Celina suggested.

          The others nodded and began to make their way through the swamp. After climbing over tree roots and weaving their way through vines Sokka began to get impatient. Pulling out his machete he began to cut through the greenery blocking their path. Both Celina and Aang couldn't help but wince every time he sliced through a vine or chopped through bits of wood.

          "We better speed things up!" Sokka declared.

          "Maybe… we should be a little nicer to the swamp," Aang suggested concerned.

          Sokka didn't bother listening, instead, he continued chopping. "Aang, these are just plants! Do you want me to say please and thank you as I swing my machete back and forth?" Sokka asked a bit annoyed.

          "Sokka, please. This place is teeming with spiritual energy. It's not wise to just hack through everything. You might upset a spirit," Celina warned her brother.

          "So, you're saying that these plants could be spirits?" Sokka asked Celina skeptically.

          "Maybe. There are spirits who look like bugs so why wouldn't there be spirits who appear as plants," Celina answered.

          "Spirits who look like bugs?" Aang questioned.

          "Well, what else would you refer to Koh as?" Celina shot right back at him. Both shivered, remembering the spirit and his creepy feelers that liked to touch them. Celina was happy that Aang only had one encounter with the face stealer. She knew how tormenting the spirit could be, trying to get a reaction.

          "Maybe you should listen to them. Something about this place feels… alive," Katara voiced to her brother concerned.

          "I'm sure there are lots of things that are alive here, and if we don't wanna wind up getting eaten by them, we need to find Appa as fast as we can," Sokka replied annoyed.

* * *

          Seeing as they were getting nowhere and it was almost pitch black in the swamp the gang decided to set up camp. The creepiness of the swamp only aided in that decision. They stuck close together as they searched for a dry place for the night. Coming upon a place the gang only had a second of relief before a scream erupted through the forest, causing them to grab hold of each other in fear. Sokka was the first to react after that.

          "I think we should build a fire," he said and then went away, hacking at a small tree nearby.

          "Sokka, the longer we're here the more I think you shouldn't be doing that," Aang told him.

          "No, I asked the swamp. It said this was fine. Right, swamp? 'No problem, Sokka!'" he replied sarcastically and continued on what he was doing. Celina and Aang watched him, displeased, while Katara hung close to her older sister, freaked out about the swamp.

          Sokka had managed to get a fire going just as night had fallen. It was dark in the swamp as it was but with night it was practically pitch black. The gang huddled around the fire, desperate for the light and the safety it provided.

          "Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?" Katara asked paranoid.

          "Please, we're all alone out here," Sokka replied, annoyed by the fly who continued to buzz around his face.

          He swatted at the bug with his machete only to miss. Threatened, the fly burst into a ball of light, blinding the group for a moment, before disappearing. When they could see again the four tensed as they noticed many glowing eyes staring at them.

          "Except for them," Aang pointed out, referring to Sokka's previous statement.

          "Right, except for them," Sokka replied terrified as the eyes disappeared.

          They didn't know how but the gang was able to fall asleep, lying close by the dying fire in hopes it would protect them. But that wasn't the case. As they lay sleeping vines crept up and yanked the four away from each other. They let out a scream of terror as they were dragged away. Sokka managed to free himself with his machete, Celina and Katara with their waterbending, and Aang by using his air bending to propel himself far away from the vines. All of them ended up running off in different directions amongst the chaos.

* * *

          Celina wandered through the swamp, trying her best to find Aang and her siblings. Her mind was in other places though as she searched. They should have just landed when they had the chance. Sokka shouldn't have chomped away at the swamp. Why didn't he bother listening when she and Aang told him that it was a bad idea? Sweeping aside a wall of vines Celina came to a small clearing in the swamp, a small beam of light peeking through the trees. She was surprised to find an older looking gentleman in green robes standing at the center, his back towards her. There was something strange about him. He looked ghostly, reminding Celina about the spirits she's encountered. If this gentleman was a spirit however then maybe he could help her.

          "Excuse me!" she called out to the gentleman as she began to approach him. "I'm afraid I'm a bit lost. You see I got separated from my family and have been trying to find them. Can you help me?"

          As the man turned around Celina stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. Standing in front of her, dressing in green, was General Iroh.

          "Ah, Celina, there you are," Iroh said, smiling at her. A genuine smile that reached his eyes.

          "General Iroh," she stuttered, taking a step backward.

          "General? What's with the formalities? You know you can call me Uncle. Now come, it's time for tea. I've prepared a pot of chai. Your favorite if I'm correct," Iroh replied and beckoned for her to come with him.

          "Is Zuko around?" Celina asked as she looked around nervously for the fire prince.

          "Oh, he's around here somewhere," Iroh told her. "I swear you two can't…"

          Celina didn't stay to hear Iroh finish. Instead, she ran. She had to find the others and warn them. It confused her beyond belief how Zuko and Iroh managed to get to the swamp but that didn't matter. What mattered was finding the others so that they could get out of there. Sprinting through walls of vines and jumping over roots Celina didn't notice her brother until she bumped right into him.

          "Celina!" Sokka smiled and hugged her, happy to be reunited with her older sister.

          "Sokka, we've got to find the others and get out of here. I just ran into General Iroh. I don't know how but he and Zuko are here in the swamp," Celina hurriedly told him while trying to catch her breath.

          "What? Are you sure you just weren't seeing things?" Sokka asked.

          Before she had time to respond Aang and Katara came rolling down from above, knocking her and Sokka down to the bottom of a tree root. While Celina was annoyed with how they ended up finding each other – boy was she gonna find a bruise tomorrow – she was happy that they were together again. Sokka, however, was one to express his annoyance.

          "What do you guys think you're doing! I've been looking all over for you!" Sokka told them angry as they got up.

          "Well, I've been wandering around looking for you!" Katara replied, not impressed with his attitude.

          "I was chasing some girl," Aang told them.

          "What girl?" Celina asked confused.

          "I don't know. I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress," he explained.

          "Well, there must be a tea party here and we just didn't get out invitations!" Sokka said sarcastically. Celina couldn't help but flinch at the mention of tea, thinking back to Iroh.

          "I thought I saw mom," Katara admitted. At her sister's admittance, Celina began questioning herself. Had she really seen Iroh? Or was it just a spirit messing with her? After all, he did have the ghostly appearance she associated with spirits in the real world.

          "Look, we were all just scared and hungry and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out here," Sokka said after a small pause.

          "You guys saw something too?" Katara asked her siblings.

          "I thought I saw Yue. But, that doesn't prove anything. Look, I think about her all the time and you saw Mom, someone you miss a lot," Sokka said, trying to explain the visions.

          "Okay, then how does that explain me seeing General Iroh? It's not like I have a deep connection with the man whose nephew has been hunting us down," Celina asked.

          "You saw Iroh?" Katara gasped.

          "He invited me to tea," Celina answered sheepishly.

          "And what about me?" Aang asked, referring back to what Sokka said. "I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here."

          "Okay… so where's here? The middle of the swamp?" Katara asked.

          "Yeah, the center. It's the heart of the swamp, it's been calling us here. I knew it," Aang said.

          Celina closed her eyes for a second and felt the raw spiritual energy that was surrounding them. "The spiritual energy feels so much stronger here," she commented.

          "It's just a tree. It can't call anyone! For the last time, there's nothing after us and there's nothing magical happening here!" Sokka exclaimed frustrated. Right after he said that a huge swamp monster, consisting of vines and a wooden mask, burst from the water. The gang screamed and hugged each other close. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You were right! There is such a thing as plant spirits!"

          Not allowing them to scream in terror any longer the monster took a swing at Aang, causing the four of them to break up. With Aang having jumped far enough away the monster grabbed Sokka as he tried to run away. Aang responded by knocking Sokka out of the monster's grip with a blast of air, causing the older boy to fall into the water. The monster knocked Aang back with a sweep of its arm. Sokka took his machete to some of the monster's vines but they ended up reattaching to the monster. Angry with him the monster grabbed Sokka once again.

          Seeing their brother in danger Celina and Katara took charge, bending the swamp water into a jet and sending it straight through the creature's shoulders, causing the monster to drop Sokka, two large holes left in its shoulders. The girls stayed determined as vines filled in the holes. They skirted around the monster, firing more blasts of water at the monster while it swung at them, missing. As Katara continued firing blasts Celina brought up a wave and aimed it at the monster, washing the creature backward.

          The monster managed to break through the water and grabbed Sokka again. Katara ran straight towards the monster but was knocked backward by the vines. Just as Aang came running back into the fight he got knocked back by another vine appendage. Celina's eyes narrowed seeing them fly backward along with her brother being absorbed into the vine monster's chest. As Sokka struggled to get free the monster approached Celina. Determined, Celina sent a wave at the monster yet again and before it had time to collect itself she used the water lingering on the vines trapping Sokka and froze them. With a swift flick of her wrists, she caused the frozen vines to break away. Pulling the frozen vines towards her Celina released Sokka from his prison.

          With his friends away from the monster Aang launched himself at its back. Unfortunately for him the monster once again managed to send Aang flying again. Katara turned to the monster and began to fire loops of water at the monster as it approached. As she finished helping her brother out of the vines the two of them managed to catch a man hidden in the vines as the monster tried to repair itself.

          "There's someone in there! He'd bending the vines!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "How in the world is he…" Celina began to question before having an epiphany. "Wait a minute… the plants. He's bending the water inside the vines."

          Acting quickly Celina concentrated, reaching for the water inside the monster's vines. It was a bit difficult trying to find a grip on vines that were currently being bended but with the monster currently being assaulted with water by her sister the man inside ended up losing his hold allowing for Celina to take control. She struggled, the element foreign in her grasp. Sweat creased her brow as she managed to pull the vine creature in half, sending the vines in separate directions and the man inside them, clad only in a leaf skirt, falling right down in front of them. Exhausted, Celina leaned on her brother for support, breathing heavily after doing so much of a new form of bending.

          "Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang asked the man angry.

          "Wait! I didn't call you here," the man said.

          "We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land," Aang explained.

          "He's the Avatar. Stuff like that happens to us… a lot," Sokka added.

          "The Avatar!" the man said surprised, a smile forming on his face. "Come with me."

          The gang exchanged a look amongst themselves before dropping their stances, deciding to trust the man. The man in question led them up the great tress at the center of the swamp.

          "So, who are you then?" Katara asked.

          "My name is Hue. I protect the swamp from folks that want to hurt it. Like this fellow with his big knife," the man explained, referring to Sokka.

          "See? Completely reasonable. Not a monster, just a regular guy defending his home. Nothing mystical about it," Sokka said.

          "Oh, the swamp is a mystical place, all right. It's sacred," Hue told them.

          "Told you," Celina smiled smugly at her brother.

          "I reached enlightenment right here under the banion grove tree. I hear it callin' me, just like you did," Hue explained, sitting down when they reached a level area. "See, this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread and sink and take root and then spread some more. One big living organism, just like the entire world."

          "I get how the tree is one big thing, but the whole world?" Aang asked confused.

          "Sure. You think you're any different from me? Or your friends? Or this tree? If you listen hard enough you can hear every living thing breathing together, you can feel everything growing. We're all livin' together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree," Hue went on.

          "But what did our visions mean?" Celina asked.

          "In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to 'em. Time is an illusion, and so is death," he told them.

          "But what about my vision? It was someone I had never met," Aang asked.

          "You're the Avatar. You tell me," Hue smiled at him.

          Aang thought for a moment, trying to piece together what Hue told them. "Time is an illusion… so, it's… someone I will meet?" Aang worked out.

          "So, does that mean Iroh and I will end up becoming friends in the future?" Celina asked. Thinking back to their interactions in the past Celina had to admit that Iroh wasn't that bad of a man. Sure, he was part of the Fire Nation but every time they interacted Iroh was never one to attack them. And at the North Pole, she got to see how much he respected the spirits. But then there was Zuko. "It's kinda hard picturing that happening with that nephew of his."

          "Sorry to interrupt the lesson, but we still need to find Appa and Momo," Sokka reminded them.

          "I think I know how to find them. Everything is connected," Aang said and placed his hand on the tree root. Closing his eyes he concentrated. His tattoos began to glow and Celina felt even more spiritual energy in the air. He stayed like that for a minute or so before the glowing faded and Aang quickly stood. "Come on! We've got to hurry!"

* * *

          The gang and Hue managed to find Appa and Momo just in time as swamp men just caught them. After talking to them the swamp men release Appa and Momo and invited the gang and Hue back to their camp for dinner. Sokka was quick to accept the offer. Back at the camp, the gang sat around the campfire with the swamp men, Due and Tho, and happily ate the cooked possum chicken they were given.

          "Tastes just like arctic hen. So why were you guys so interested in eating Appa? You've got plenty of those big things wandering around," Sokka asked, pointing to the catfish crocodile.

          "You want me to eat old Slim? He's like a member of the family!" Due said a bit offended before tossing some fish from his kabob to the catfish crocodile.

          "Where d'you say you're from?" Tho asked the girls.

          "The South Pole," Celina answered.

          "Didn't know there was waterbenders anywhere but here. They got a nice swamp there, do they?" Tho continued to ask.

          "No, it's all ice and snow," Katara explained.

          "Hmm. No wonder you left," Tho commented.

          "Well, I hope you realize now that nothing strange was going on here. Just a bunch of greasy people living in a swamp," Sokka said to Katara.

          "What about the visions?" Katara protested.

          "I told you, we were hungry," Sokka replied.

          "But what about when the tree showed me where Appa and Momo were?" Aang asked.

          "That's Avatar stuff, that doesn't count," Sokka told Aang before turned to Hue. "The only thing I can't figure out is how you made that tornado that sucked us down."

          "I can't do anything like that. I just bend the water in the plants. Which reminds me. It was quite impressive what you did back near the heart. I didn't think that there were many out there who knew how to plantbend," Hue said to Celina.

          "That was my first time plantbending actually," Celina admitted. "How did you figure out that you were able to bend plants? The only reason I tried it was because you were doing it and was lucky enough to manage it. Though granted I almost passed out from exhaustion afterward."

          "It was just a realization I had one day. I was walking through the swamp when I began to wonder: If plants have water flowing through them then would I be able to bend them like I do regular water? So, I tried and was pleased to find that I could move the vines. Nothing like you did though. I'm surprised that you were able to rip me out from my structure on your first try," Hue explained.

          "That's probably because she's a master waterbender," Katara spoke up. It probably had something to do with her being a spirit as well but no one was bringing that up.

          "Are you bragging for me?" Celina asked a bit confused.

          "Well you are, you deserve to brag," Katara said. Celina blushed a bit embarrassed. She never thought about bragging, she never thought she had anything to brag about really. After all, the people back at the South Pole taught her that it was best to keep quiet about her abilities. "But that's so cool how you discovered plantbending. It makes me wonder what other things we can bend because there's water in it."

          From the bottom of her memories, something that Celina had been unconsciously suppressing arose. She let out a quiet gasp which went ignored by the others who were still in their own conversations. But mentally she wasn't there with them, she was back at the North Pole during the siege.

_"Your actions have caused two deaths today and that will soon turn to three. It's time you felt the Ocean's wrath."_

_Using her waterbending she bended water from the canal and forced it down Zhao's throat. Celina's hand extended as her bending reached inside Zhao's body and felt the water fill his lungs. Feeling that the Ocean Spirit was still not satisfied Celina located Zhao's heart and with the tightening of her hand, crushed it. His body went limp and the water holding Zhao dragged his body into the water, causing him to sink into its depths._

          She crushed his heart. Celina felt for his heart using her bending and then crushed it. Her breathing became heavy. Of course, the human body was made up of mainly water. But it was so… so… horrifying. Bending a person's blood to make them do as one wanted. Taking away a person's free will, or life, so easily. But she did it. She might have been under the influence of her father during her spirit trance but it was her bending that felt inside the man's body and crushed his heart.

          Celina tightened and relaxed her hands. She could bend water and plants and blood. She could bend people's blood. That was something that she could never unlearn now that she remembered doing so. This was something she'd have to live with and learn how to deal with. And Celina could do that. She could. But Katara couldn't. She looked over at her sister who was currently arguing with Sokka. Katara wouldn't be able to handle bending a person to her will. Her kind-hearted sister would break. Celina let out a long-held breath and closed her eyes, hoping that Katara would never have to find out about the dark side to waterbending.


	5. Avatar Day

          Every night since the siege at the North Pole Celina was sent to her parent's temple whenever she went to sleep. It was a relief really, spending time getting to know them instead of having nightmares about Koh. Currently, Celina was sat in her parent's chamber discussing, once again, her spirit abilities.

          "I've meditated and meditated and I still haven't been able to locate my spirit abilities," Celina explained exasperated.

          "I'm sure if you keep trying you'll get it," Ai encouraged.

          "How? And why is it that as a spirit I'm not able to access my spirit abilities in the first place? It doesn't make any sense," Celina continued on. "I guess I'm always just destined to always be a freak."

          "Honey, you're not a freak," Bishamon assured her.

          "But I am! As a human, I was the freak with the strange pale skin who talked to thin air. As a spirit, I'm a freak who can't even find her spirit powers. And that's all I'll ever be. It doesn't matter that I managed to master waterbending and healing. It doesn't matter that I managed to plantbend and bloodbend. My accomplishments don't matter. I'm only ever going to be a freak!" Celina ranted before breaking down into tears. Years of torment coming out at that moment.

          She sat down in the chair by her father's bed and just sobbed. Ai was quick to embrace her child, cradling Celina's head against her chest in the only way a mother could. Bishamon, even though bedridden, reached over and held Celina's hand in his. He desperately wanted to hold his daughter like his wife was doing but Celina felt all his comforting energy coming from the simple gesture. Ai and Bishamon shared a concerned glance before looking back at their daughter.

          "You're not a freak, Celina. You are a beautiful, strong, intelligent, young woman," Bishamon told her as Ai stroked Celina's hair.

          "How couldn't you be seeing as you're our daughter," Ai added in giving Celina a good squeeze. "You're just not seeing yourself that clearly."

          After saying this Bishamon's eyes widened in epiphany. "And I think I just figured out why you're having such a hard time finding your spirit abilities." Celina and Ai looked over at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "Your low self-confidence in yourself is preventing you from unlocking your spirit powers."

          "Great, so I'm never going to be able to unlock my spirit powers," Celina frowned. Once again Bishamon and Ai exchanged a concerned glance.

          "Celina, honey, I want you to come with me for a minute," Ai said and led her daughter over to a floor length mirror inside their chambers. She stood Celina right in front of it while standing behind her daughter, looking at her through their reflections in the mirror. "In front of us is a beautiful, young woman who is smart and strong and talented. We just need to work on making you see her as well. You need to learn how to love yourself and lucky for you your mother is the spirit of love."

          "How?" Celina asked.

          "I want you to look in the mirror and say, 'I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong.'," Ai instructed.

          Taking a deep breath Celina looked herself in the eye and repeated what her mother told her to say. "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong."

          "Good," Ai smiled. "Now, I want you to say that to yourself at least three times a day and whenever you're feeling down or when someone tries to make you feel inferior. One day, you'll believe those words."

          "And when you start believing that, other people will as well. Just like we do, my turtle duck," Bishamon added.

          "Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad," Celina said, her spirits lifted a bit.

          Bright smiles appeared on Ai and Bishamon's faces, hearing Celina call them mom and dad for the first time. Before either of them had time to share their joy in this Celina's body began to flicker.

          "We'll see you tomorrow night," Bishamon said. "Good luck, Celina."

          With that, her body flickered away as Celina woke up in the human world.

* * *

          Waking up Celina was surprised to see that Sokka was up before she was but found it made more sense after seeing Momo standing on her brother's chest. Whatever Sokka was telling Momo got cut off as Momo stood up on edge before galloping sounds could be heard, waking the rest of the gang. Suddenly, several Fire Nation war rhinoceroses jumped out from the brush.

          "Give up! You're completely surrounded!" a soldier with a nose ring and short sleeve uniform shouted.

          Not waiting longer as the other soldiers on the war rhinoceroses prepared to attack the gang ran straight towards Appa to make their escape. Aang got into the driver's seat rather quickly, followed by Celina and Sokka who climbed their way up into Appa's saddle. Katara was making her way towards the bison as well until she realized that she was forgetting something.

          "My scrolls!" she cried out and then turned around to fetch them.

          Hearing her call this out Aang remembered he was forgetting something of his own. "My staff!" he exclaimed.

          Celina and Sokka watched as Katara and Aang fought off the soldiers' rhinoceroses in order to fetch their things. Katara was lucky enough to only have to deal with one of the soldiers while Aang dodged attacks from the two with projectile attacks, having flaming arrows and dynamite thrown at him. Once the two of the secured their things Aang and Katara quickly made their way back to Appa. Not wanting to spend any more time surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers who wanted to kill them the gang took off on Appa. They were up in the air when Sokka realized an important thing that he forgot.

          "Wait, my boomerang!" Sokka cried out.

          "Sokka, there's no time!" Celina told him.

          "Oh, I see. There's time to get her scrolls and time to her his staff, but no time for my boomerang?" Sokka snapped.

          "That's correct!" Katara piped in.

          "Oh," Sokka replied resigned.

          Celina placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, feeling bad that he had to leave behind. "I'm sorry, Sokka."

          Having flown far enough away the gang stopped to pick up some supplies they lost in having to flee their campsite that morning. Aang made sure to wear a hat covering the arrow on his head after the run in with the Fire Nation soldiers. Celina and Katara took control of picking out the supplies while Aang tried to comfort a sulking Sokka, upset over the loss of his boomerang.

          "Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka," Aang apologized.

          "I feel like I've lost part of my identity. Imagine if you lost your arrow, or if Katara lost her hair loopies, or if Celina lost her… you know what, she has enough identity issues going on at the moment," Sokka commented.

          Hearing Sokka allude to her spirit side Celina remembered what her mother instructed her to do the past night and took a deep breath in. "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong," she said to herself. Katara looked at her, curious.

          "What was that you said?" she asked.

          "It's something my mom told me to say. We figured out that I'm not able to unlock my full potential because of my… self-loathing," Celina answered, feeling uncomfortable admitting her insecurity.

          "That's a nice little thing to say to yourself. I think it's wonderful that you're trying to improve upon that. You really are all those things, Celina. I wish you'd see that," Katara said with a smile. Celina smiled a small smile in return, it was nice to see that her sister was supportive. Their moment was interrupted as the merchant came back with their supplies. Celina reached into her pocket to pull out money while Sokka picked up the bag to carry back to Appa.

          "Here's your produce, ponytail guy," the merchant said to him.

          "I used to be boomerang guy," Sokka sulked away dejected.

          With their supplies, Celina handed the money over to the merchant. "Hey, Water Tribe money," he observed, surprised.

          "I hope that's okay," Celina replied.

          "So long as it's money," the merchant accepted before closing up shop and walked away. "Have a nice Avatar Day!"

          "Avatar Day?" Aang questioned.

          "You guys are going to the festival, right?" the merchant asked, turning around.

* * *

          The four walked into a small town with green banners suspended everywhere and cheerful music playing. It was nice to see a town filled with joy as people celebrated. Happy to have a moment of peace the gang looked around in wonder. Momo clung to Celina's shoulder, munching on a treat she purchased for him.

          "There's a holiday for the Avatar. Who knew?" Aang said.

          From out behind buildings a huge float of Avatar Kyoshi was pulled into the town square.

          "Look! They made a giant Kyoshi float!" Katara pointed out.

          "And here comes Avatar Roku," Sokka noticed as a float of the previous Avatar was rolled into the square as well.

          Even though they were just floats made from simple materials such as wood and hay they still carried the uncomfortableness that Celina was used to when around anything resembling Aang's past lives. Their eyes always boring down at her.

          Taking a deep breath Celina repeated the words under her breath. "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong." The others didn't hear her and went about their own conversation.

          "Having a huge festival in your honor is great, but frankly, it's just nice to be appreciated," Aang said.

          "And it's nice to appreciate their deep-fried festival food," Sokka added in taking a big bite out of fried dough.

          The last float that came out was one of Aang himself which was wheeled next to the float of Roku which stood next to the float of Kyoshi. With the floats lined up the crowd's attention turned to a man who was running towards the town square carrying a torch.

          "Now a torch, that's a nice prop. It's bright, dangerous, smells manly. But I'm not sure I could carry it off," Sokka commented.

          "Hey, what's that guy doing?" Katara asked confused when she noticed the man was heading straight at the statue of Kyoshi with no intention of moving.

          They were shocked when the man jumped through the float of Kyoshi, setting it aflame, cheering in glee. The flames continued, spreading to the float of Roku and then to the float of Aang.

          "Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar!" the crowd of villagers chanted.

          Katara wasn't having any more of the hateful chanting as she rushed forward, drawing water from two water caskets, and put out the fire on each of the floats.

          "Hey! That party-pooper's ruining Avatar Day!" a spectator cried out angry.

          "That party-pooper's my friend!" Aang said, coming to Katara's defense after airbending himself onto his own float. He took off his hat, revealing his identity to the townspeople.

          "It's the Avatar himself!" a man gasped in surprise.

          "He's going to kill us with his awesome Avatar powers!" the spectator from before panicked.

          "No, I'm not, I…" Aang tried to clear up calmly but the spectator hurled himself into the crowd screaming.

          "I suggest you leave. You're not welcome here, Avatar," the man said snootily.

          "Maybe we should listen to him," Celina suggested. After seeing them burn the floats it was clear that they should've left. Sokka nodded in agreement but the other two didn't bother to listen.

          "Why? Why aren't we welcome here? Aang helps people," Katara questioned.

          "It's true. I'm on your side," Aang confirmed and airbended himself down next to Katara.

          "I find that hard to swallow considering what you did to us in your past life. It was Avatar Kyoshi, she murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great," the man accused.

          "You think that I murdered someone?" Aang asked taken aback.

          "Aang would never do something like that. No Avatar would. And it's not fair for you all to question his honor!" Katara said coming to Aang's defense.

          "Give me a chance to clear my came," Aang begged the crowd.

          "The only way to prove your innocence is to stand trial," the man told him.

          "I'll gladly stand trial," Aang agreed confident.

          "You'll have to follow all our rules. That includes paying bail," the man informed him.

          "No problem!" Aang smiled.

* * *

          It turned out to be a problem as when Celina went to pay the man he turned away not only her Water Tribe money but her Fire Nation money as well. With no money to pay bail, Aang was put a stock before being thrown in the town's prison. The Water Tribe siblings stood outside his ceil, discussing what to do.

          "So some people don't like you. Big deal! There's a whole nation of firebenders who hate you. Now let's bust you out of here," Sokka said.

          "I can't," Aang replied.

          "Sure you can! A little swish, swish, swish! Airbending slice! And we're on our way!" Sokka said cheerfully.

          "I think what Master Swish is trying to say is that you're supposed to be out saving the world. You can't do that locked up in here," Katara said disdainfully.

          "I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer, either. I need you guys to help prove my innocence," Aang argued.

          "Can we be so sure about that? I know you aren't a murderer yourself, Aang. After all, I'm the only one in the group who's ever killed someone. But maybe Kyoshi did do it. The Avatar is supposed to keep peace and sometimes that means taking out the one who's destroying it," Celina pointed out.

          "No, I'm sure Kyoshi wouldn't do that," Aang refused.

          "Maybe we should investigate to make sure," Katara suggested, taking Aang's side.

          "So, you'll help me with my case?" Aang asked, giving pleading, puppy dog eyes to Celina and Sokka. The two exchanged a look before sighing in resign.

          "Fine, we'll help," Celina agreed.

* * *

          Wanting to get the investigation over with quickly so that they could get out of the crazy town the Water Tribe siblings were led by Mayor Tong to the scene of the crime. The crime scene sat on top of a cliff near a small temple and the statue of Chin the Great. Mayor Tong took them to the edge of the cliff to show them a footprint made in the earth.

          "This is the footprint of the killer, Kyoshi. It was at sunset three hundred and seventy years ago today that she emerged from the temple and struck down Chin the Great. After that tragic day, we built this statue to immortalize our great leader. Feel free to appreciate it," Mayor Tong explained.

          The trio didn't pay much attention to the small footprint. Celina and Katara went to investigate the temple while Sokka took notice of the statue. He looked back and forth between it and the temple.

          "This temple and this statue were cut from the same stone," Sokka observed.

          "Wait a minute, if they were cut from the same stone that means that the temple and the statue were built around the same time," Celina figured out.

          "And that means that Kyoshi never set foot in this temple," Sokka smiled triumphantly.

          "That's a big hole in the mayor's story, but it's not enough to prove Aang's innocence," Katara pointed out.

          "You're right," Sokka agreed. "We need to go to Kyoshi Island."

* * *

          Flying off on Appa the trio quickly made their way to Kyoshi Island. They were greeted with much excitement which died once the villagers realized that Aang wasn't with them. Still, Oyagi, greeted them warmly. After explained their situation he began to lead them to Kyoshi's shrine in hopes that they'd find answers.

          "This temple was converted into a shrine to Kyoshi. The clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her spirit," Oyagi explained as they entered the shrine.

          A shiver ran down Celina's spine. She could feel that the room was filled with Kyoshi's energy which only put Celina on edge. As her siblings went to explore the room Celina stopped to try and calm her nerves.

          "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong," she muttered to herself. Celina repeated this two more times before joining Sokka and Katara in exploring the room.

          "These were her boots? Her feet must have been enormous!" Katara commented, checking out Kyoshi's uniform.

          "The biggest of any Avatar," Oyagi told her full of pride.

          "There's no way Kyoshi could have made that footprint then. It was so tiny compared to her shoes," Celina pointed out.

          "Therefore, there's nothing linking her to the crime scene!" Sokka added.

          "You two are really good with this detective thing," Katara commented.

          As the three of them continued to look around the room both Celina and Sokka were drawn to a mural on one of the temple's walls. Oyagi walked up to them excited to tell them more.

          "This piece is called 'The Birth of Kyoshi.' It was painted at sunrise on the day this island was founded. Why, it was today, in fact, three hundred and seventy years ago," he explained.

          "Three hundred and seventy years ago… wait, are you sure it was today?" Sokka asked Oyagi.

          "Seeing how it's Kyoshi Day, yes, I'm sure," Oyagi answered annoyed.

          "If that's the case then Kyoshi couldn't have been in Chin as she was here for the island's founding. Which means she has an alibi!" Celina figured out. "We've got to get back to Chin. Thank you, Oyagi. You've been a big help."

* * *

          The Water Tribe siblings hurried back to Chin and explained all the evidence they found to Aang. A large smile spread across the airbender's face when he learned that Kyoshi couldn't have committed the crime. Confident that they were going to clear the Avatar's name they called upon Mayor Tong to tell him that they were ready for the trial, smiles on the gang's faces.

          "Honorable mayor, we've prepared a solid defense for the Avatar. We did an investigation and found some very strong evidence," Katara informed him in a formal voice.

          "Evidence? Hmph! That's not how our court system works," Mayor Tong told them.

          "Then how can I prove my innocence?" Aang asked.

          "Simple. I say what happened and then you say what happened and then I decide who's right. That's why we call it justice. Because it's 'just us.' Hahaha!" Mayor Tong laughed before walking away leaving the gang horrified.

* * *

          The gang sat in an amphitheater, Aang still in the stock, listening as Mayor Tong made the case against Aang to the town.

          "Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so great. Then the Avatar showed up and killed him! And that's how it happened," Mayor Tong said and then walked off towards the seats, a smile on his face that spoke volumes of gloating to Celina and the rest of the gang.

          "The accused will now present its argument," the bailiff announced.

          "You can do it, Aang. Just remember the evidence," Sokka whispered to him before Aang walked up to defend himself.

          "Right… evidence," Aang said to himself before turning to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to tell you what really happened. And I will prove it with facts. Fact number one… uh…"

          "The footprints," Celina reminded him.

          "Oh yeah… You see, I have very large feet," Aang continued and showed everyone his small feet. Celina facepalmed, already seeing this not working out well for them. "Furthermore, your… temple matches your statue. But I… was in a painting at sunset. So there you have it! I'm not guilty!"

          The crowd glared at him unimpressed while the Water Tribe siblings have him a hang in there smile and a thumbs up.

          "He's dead," Sokka commented to his sisters.

          "Wait a minute I think I have an idea," Katara said. She grabbed hold of her bag and pushed Aang into the temple. The both of them were in there for a while until Katara came out to address the crowd. "Mayor Tong, I'd like for the court to hear one last testimony."

          "I've already told you it's just me and the accused. You can't call any witnesses," Mayor Tony jumped up angry.

          "This isn't just any witness. I'm going to call… Avatar Kyoshi herself!" Katara exclaimed.

          The crowd murmured to each other in response, curious as to what was about to happen. That turned quickly into them being unimpressed as Aang stepped out of the temple wearing Kyoshi's clothes along with his face being painted as the past Avatar's as well. Katara simply made her way over to her siblings and sat down.

          "What are you doing?" Sokka whispered to her.

          "Well, she is Aang's past life. Maybe wearing her stuff will trigger something," Katara explained.

          "This is a mockery of Chin law!" Mayor Tong protested.

          "Please! If you could just wait one more second, I'm sure Kyoshi will be here," Katara pleaded with him.

          Aang tried to play himself off as Kyoshi but no one found it convincing. As Mayor Tong went to finish the trial Celina felt an all too familiar uncomfortableness fill the air.

          "She's coming," Celina gasped.

          Just then the sky darkened and a whirlwind appeared around Aang, obscuring him from view. Once the wind disappeared everyone gasped in shock as it was revealed that Avatar Kyoshi, standing tall before them. She looked over the crowd of people, spotting Celina amongst the crowd. Kyoshi glared at Celina, causing the young girl to become frozen in her seat, trying to keep her breathing steady.

          "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong," Celina repeated over and over again in quick succession. Under the actual eyes of one of Aang's past lives, Celina felt all the hatred that was directed at her… at her parents. As Kyoshi glared at her she felt insignificant and pathetic. Closing her eyes Celina tried to focus only on herself while continuing to repeat her phrases. "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong."

          Looking away from Celina Kyoshi addressed the crowd. "I killed Chin the Conqueror," she told everyone. "A horrible tyrant, Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender. I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home, but he did not back down. On that day, we split from the mainland. I created Kyoshi Island so my people could be safe from invaders."

          Having explained what she came to explain whirlwind appeared around Kyoshi, covering her. As the darkness disappeared so did the whirlwind, revealing that Aang was back to himself. Drained from the spiritual occurrence that just happened Aang almost fainted but Katara ran over to hold him up while Sokka tried to calm Celina down, noticing his sister's distress.

          "So… what just happened?" Aang asked confused.

          "Uhh… you kind of confessed. Looks like Celina was right. Sorry," Katara explained to him.

          "And I find you guilty! Bring out the wheel of punishment!" Mayor Tong declared. Katara was forced to return to her seat as the bailiff wheeled out the wheel of punishment. Looking at it the wheel had several awful punishments that would ultimately lead to death, with one slot for community service.

          "The accused will now spin the wheel of punishment to determine his sentence," the bailiff explained.

          "I said I would face justice, so I will," Aang sighed in acceptance and then spun the wheel. The crowd began rooting for different punishments for the wheel to land on.

          "Come on, torture machine!"

          "Eaten by bears!"

          "Razor pit!"

          "Community service! Please stop on community service," Katara pleaded.

          Everyone quieted as the wheel came to a stop. "Looks like it's boiled in oil," the bailiff read off.

          The crowd of townspeople cheered while the gang looked dejected. The Water Tribe siblings wondered what they were going to do while Aang stood there accepting his fate. Suddenly, a lit firebomb was thrown into the amphitheater. It bounced a few times before exploding. The townspeople screamed as Celina, Sokka, and Katara shielded themselves from the blast. They looked around for the source before a voice from on top of the amphitheater. Looking up the gang was surprised to see the Fire Nation soldiers from before.

          "We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord! Now show me your leader so I may dethrone him," the leader of the Fire Nation soldiers said and then destroyed the statue of Chin the Conqueror.

          "That's him over there!" a spectator said pointing to Mayor Tong.

          Mayor Tong cowered behind the wheel of punishment in response. "You! Avatar! Do something!" he said to Aang.

          "Gee, I'd love to help, but I'm supposed to be boiled in oil," Aang replied calmly. Mayor Tony moved the wheel so that it was stopped on community service.

          "There! Community service. No service our community and get rid of those rhinos!" Mayor Tong commanded.

          Aang smiled and ran forward, shedding Kyoshi's clothes, and began to fight back against the Fire Nation soldiers on their rhinos. Seeing Aang jump into action the Water Tribe siblings ran off to help Aang defeat them. Celina and Katara teamed up with each other, using their waterbending against a soldier with a flail. As he threw it at them Celina used her waterbending to send it right back at the man, causing it to wrap around his body. Making sure that he couldn't escape from his binding Celina coated the flail with water and froze it, trapping the man even more. Katara then used her bending to send the rhino racing away from the town.

          With one of them defeated the sisters ran over to help Sokka as two of the rhino soldiers were trying to attack him. They watched as their brother managed to defeat the man with the explosives, using the flaming arrows from the other soldier to defeat the man. Celina and Katara fended off incoming arrows from the other soldier while Sokka discovered that the dynamite man dropped a bag with his boomerang in it. As Katara doused the flames the man was shooting at them Celina frozen the man's left foot to the rhino's saddle and then sent a water blast at him, knocking him off the rhino. Seeing what her sister did Katara hurried over and sent the rhino out of town, dragging the soldier behind him.

          The fight ended as Aang defeated the leader of the Fire Nation soldier, causing him to flee from the town. With the Fire Nation soldiers defeated the townspeople cheered, thankful that the four saved their town.

* * *

          As night fell Celina, Sokka, Katara, and Aang stood in front of the plaza full of people as fireworks went off in the sky behind them. In each of their hands was a bowl of some sort of treat that Mayor Tong gifted them with.

          "From now on, we'll celebrate a new Avatar Day in honor of the day Avatar Aang saved us from the Rough Rhino Invasion," Mayor Tong announced to the crowd of people.

          "What is this?" Sokka asked referring to the contents of the bowls. Looking down it appeared to be a bunch of melting cookies.

          "That's our new festival food: unfried dough. May we eat it and be reminded of how on this day the Avatar was not boiling in oil," Mayor Tong informed them. The crowd cheered while the four looked down at the cookies uncertain. Katara was the first one to take a cookie.

          "Happy Avatar Day, everyone," she said halfheartedly and dropped the dough cookie in her mouth. The others followed suit, picking up a dough cookie of their own and consuming it.

          "This is by far the worst town we've ever been to," Sokka commented and continued to eat a few more dough cookies.

          As Celina reached into the bowl to grab another dough cookie a teenage boy from the village walked up to her. "I saw you kick those rhino's butts earlier. You're really amazing," he said.

          "Oh, well, thank you," Celina said, blushing a bit at the complement.

          "Would you say that she's strong?" Katara asked, pushing herself into the conversation.

          "Yeah, she's really strong," the teen agreed and then turned to Celina. "You could be a master or something."

          "I am a master waterbender actually," Celina admitted a bit shy.

          "That's amazing," the boy smiled amazed.

          "She's also really pretty isn't she," Katara prompted.

          "Yeah," the boy agreed, blushingly. The blush on Celina's face darkened. "Hey, would you like to watch the fireworks with me? I know this great spot in town…"

          "Thank you, but we're… going to have to get out of here soon. You know… saving the world and Avatar… stuff," Celina declined awkwardly. The teenager nodded at her, sad that he was turned down, and walked back into the crowd.

          "You should have gone with him, you deserve to have some fun," Katara told her.

          "I don't know," Celina replied. "I think I need to work on myself more before I go out with someone."

          "Well, you made a good amount of progress today," Katara commented.

          "What do you mean?" Celina asked confused.

          "You've proved today that you're everything you've been trying to convince yourself. You found so much evidence for Aang's trial. You kicked two of the Rough Rhino's butts. You just got asked out on a date," Katara explained.

          "I… I guess I did," Celina realized.

          "Celina… You are beautiful. You are smart. You are strong. You are amazing," Katara said to her. Tears welled up in Celina's eyes as a soft smile spread across her face. Placing the bowl of dough cookies on the ground Celina hugged Katara. It would take more time until she could fully accept herself but she was in the right direction and today certainly helped.

* * *


	6. The Blind Bandit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Celina would be a Hat Stall but ultimately Gryffindor.  
> (29% Gryffindor, 27% Slytherin, 22% Ravenclaw, and 22% Hufflepuff)

          "Oh, my baby got asked out on a date! I knew you had it in you. You should've accepted that young man's offer," Ai gushed after Celina recounted what happened in Chin.

          "Mom," Celina whined, embarrassed.

          "Ai, I think the important thing to be focusing on is how much Celina has improved. We're very happy to hear that the phrase is working for you and it's wonderful that you have Katara to help you see that," Bishamon said.

          "Of course, that's a wonderful thing. You're starting to learn how amazing you are is great," Ai defended herself. "However, when someone finds you attractive enough to ask you out it's always a confidence booster."

          "It did feel nice," Celina admitted sheepishly.

          "Hm… maybe it's time for an important lesson," Ai said to herself and began to led Celina out of the room. "Come on."

          "Ai, what are you doing?" Bishamon called out to his wife but received no answer.

          Celina was fully in Ai's power as the spirit lead her daughter throughout the temple before coming to the vast gardens. For their temple being on the island in the Spirit World, they certainly had plenty of land for the Spirits of Love and War plus their multiple followers. When they arrived at the garden where Celina first met her mother Ai left her at the entrance headed over to one of her followers. Visiting the temple so often Celina could differentiate her mother's followers from her fathers. Bishamon's followers always wore warrior uniforms of bronze and dark teal, while Ai's followers wore flowy garments, typically composed of gold and pomegranate colors, that left little to the imagination. The one her mother was talking to now wore loose shorts and had a cape sashed over his chest, doing little to cover up his toned torso, while the rest hung behind him.

          "Celina, dear, come here. I want you to meet someone," Ai called over. Walking over to them Celina got a better look at the spirit her mother had been talking to. He had long bronzed hair which was tied back into a low ponytail and bright forest eyes. The spirit looked around her age if not a couple years older. "Celina, I would like you to meet one of my loyal followers, Bitten."

          "It is an honor to meet you, Lady Celina," Bitten said, bowing to her. "My Mistress has told us all very much about you."

          "I've asked Bitten here to teach you a very important skill," Ai explained.

          "Is he gonna teach me how to unlock my spirit powers?" Celina asked excitedly.

          "No, he's going to teach you the art of flirting," Ai answered.

          "What?!" Celina exclaimed, taken aback. "Mom, there's a war going on and I have to learn to unlock my spirit powers if I wanna help stop it. How is learning to flirt gonna help me with any of this? No offense to you, I'm sure you're lovely."

          "None taken," Bitten brushed off.

          "Celina, flirting is an essential tool for anyone. By flirting you can get people to do things for you. It boosts your confidence quite a bit when you see someone crumble just a bit from a bat of the eyelashes. Trust me, honey, this will help," Ai assured.

          "Fine," Celina sighed. It still seemed ridiculous to her but decided to trust her mother's decision. But at least she'd be able to get to make a friend in the Spirit World that wasn't an animal or her parents.

          "Perfect! I'll leave you two alone. Good luck, honey," Ai wished her daughter and then headed off, probably back to her and Bishamon's room. Celina watched her go before turning to Bitten, shifting a bit uncomfortable.

          "Alright, first lesson!" Bitten said excited.

          "I'd make it a short one. I have a feeling I'll be waking up soon," Celina informed him as her form flickered a bit.

          "A quickie? Okay, I can do that. Classic things to do when flirting: a smile, the bat of the eyelashes, and a gentle touch. These can go a long way," Bitten explained. He smoothly slinked up to Celina, giving her a sultry smile while grazing his knuckles lightly against her arm, flickering in and out of existence. Celina felt blood rushing to her cheeks as she became flustered from such a simple gesture. Bitten's smile turned into a smirk when he noticed her blush. "Looks like my charms are still effective. I can't wait to see more of that blush in our next lesson."

          Celina was extremely thankful that she woke up.

* * *

          When she woke up Celina had to fend off questions from Katara about why she was blushing, quickly busying herself with prepping to head into town. With all the money she'd gotten from returning Tom Tom, Celina decided to give Aang, Katara, and Sokka an allowance to spend. It wasn't a lot but enough for each of them to buy something for themselves that wasn't supplies. Currently, they were standing at a stall, waiting for Sokka to decide on a bag he'd been looking at.

          "It's pricey, but I really do like it," Sokka commented.

          "Then you should get it," Katara encouraged.

          "I did give everyone money to get something nice for themselves. You deserve something nice," Celina imputed.

          "I do, don't I?" Sokka smiled before turning his attention back to the bag. "But no. It's too expensive, I should save my money for something else."

          "Alright, then don't," Katara said, getting annoyed by her brother's indecision.

          They were about to walk out of the shop when Sokka ran back to the bag. "You know what? I'm gonna get it," he finally decided.

          Celina and Katara let out an annoyed sigh but waited as their brother finally purchased the bag, slinging it happily over his shoulder. With Sokka satisfied the group continued walking through the streets, looking for places where the others could spend their money. However, when they turned a corner the four managed to run into a man with papers in his hand.

          "Psst, psst. Hey, you kids like earthbending? You like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy," the man whispered, shoving one of the papers into Aang's hand before running away.

          "Look, there's a coupon on the back. The first lesson is free," Aang pointed out after examining the paper.

          "Who knows? This Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for," Katara said.

          "Yeah, because you're gonna find your earthbending master from some sketchy man," Celina muttered to herself but followed them anyway.

          The four made their way to Master Yu's Earthbending Academy where Aang signed up for his free lesson. An assistant came out and gave Aang a green training uniform and a rounded hat. The Water Tribe siblings stood on the sidelines and watched as Aang was placed in a class with boys younger than he was. After waiting Master Yu finally walked out.

          "Take your stances," Yu instructed. The younger kids went into stance instantly while Aang stood there a bit confused. "Now, strike as if you're punching through your opponent's head!" Master Yu demonstrated the strike but Aang didn't get it. Instead, he managed to get hit by another student's rock, getting thrown back into a large pot, causing it to explode. Yu walked up to him with a smile. "So, are you ready to commit to more lessons? If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt."

          "Wow, this guy… isn't very good," Katara said trying to come up with a good term without sounding rude.

          "That's because it's all a scam," Celina commented.

          "He's not the one," Aang told the three of them, disappointment, cleaning his ears out. With the lesson over the four headed out of the academy but stalled when they overheard two students talking.

          "I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble 6," one of the students said to the other.

          "He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ," the other replied.

          Aang instantly ran over to the boys to find out more. "Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?" Aang asked.

          "It's on the Island of Noneoya… none of ya business!" one of the students said before the two walked away laughing. The Water Tribe siblings approached Aang to comfort him, or at least Celina and Katara were.

          "Ha, ha! Oh, I got to remember that one," Sokka laughed. The girls shot their brother a look before looking back at the students.

          As Celina glared at the boys her mother's voice rang out in her head.

_"By flirting you can get people to do things for you."_

          This gave her an idea. "It's okay guys, I think I can get the info," Celina told them before running to catch up with the two students. "Hey strong guys, wait up!" As Celina turned the corner she was greeted with the two students who turned around hearing her call out to them. When the students saw that a pretty girl asked them to wait up the two puffed out their chests trying to look manly in order to impress her. Remembering the quick lesson that Bitten gave her Celina put on a convincing smile and walked over to them. "Hi, fellas."

          "Why, hello there. What's your name?" one of the students asked.

          "Uh, Hina," Celina answered, deciding not to give them her real name. If she was gonna flirt and fly she didn't want to have her real name leave a bad taste in their mouths. Plus, it was best not to draw attention that the Avatar was in town. Their names had spread since they first started adventuring months ago.

          "Well, I'm Mondo," the student with a tuff of hair on the top of his head.

          "And I'm Taka," the other student said. "So, what can we do for a pretty girl, like yourself?" Celina couldn't help but blush a bit at the compliment.

          "It's just that… I came all the way here to see Earth Rumble 6. I'm super into watching people earthbend and once I learned about the event… well, I just had to see it. But I'm having a hard time trying to find any information on it. Surely two strong earthbenders like yourselves would know where I can find it. Right?" Celina asked, batting her eyelashes perhaps one too many times but she could see that the boys were already eating out of the palms of her hands, desperate to impress the beautiful girl in front of them.

          "Sure thing," Taka practically swooned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it over to Celina. "Here's all the information. The tournament starts after sundown."

          "Hope to see you there," Mondo said.

          "This is perfect! Thanks, guys," Celina squealed and brought the two in for a quick hug before darting off, leaving the both of them swooning. Ecstatic that her flirting worked, Celina hurried off to find Aang and her siblings. It didn't take her long as the three still stood near the entrance of the academy discussing Sokka's buyer's remorse. She waved the paper Taka gave her excited.

          "I got the info! We're going to Earth Rumble 6!" she announced.

          A huge smile spread across Aang's face when she handed him the paper. "That's amazing, how did you get them to tell you?" he asked.

          "Turns out a little bit of flirting can go a long way," Celina answered.

          "Brilliant! I would've just threatened the information out of them," Katara admitted.

          "My baby sister, threaten someone? Never," Celina joked, causing the four of them to laugh.

* * *

          After sundown, the gang made their way to an underground stadium where Earth Rumble 6 was being held. Aang used his allowance to buy the tickets, getting them into the event. The four of them thought they were lucky when they managed to snag front row seats but soon discovered the reason behind it being that it was essentially a splash zone but with rocks. The cause of this discovery came from the host appearing in the center of the arena.

          "Welcome to Earth Rumble 6! I am your host, Xin Fu!" he announced, causing the crowd to cheer.

          "This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chuckin' rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara asked already bored.

          "That's what we paid for," Sokka replied, excited about everything.

          "We better get an earthbending teacher out of this," Celina muttered to herself.

          "The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring and you win. Round one! The Boulder versus The Big Bad Hippo!" Xin Fu announced and then moved aside for the fighters. A man with huge muscles entered one side of the ring while a huge fat man with large teeth entered on the other. It was clear to tell who was who just by appearance.

          "Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide," The Boulder trash talked.

          "Hippo mad," his opponent replied, pathetically.

          Everyone watched as The Boulder and The Hippo fought. Celina noticed that even though everything about the fight seemed exaggerated that the audience still loved it… including her brother. The crowd was on edge as The Hippo caused The Boulder to lose his balance for a minute but then everyone roared in applause as The Boulder knocked The Hippo out of the ring.

          "How about The Boulder? He's got some good moves," Katara suggested to Aang, remembering that they were here to find Aang an earthbending master.

          "I don't know," Aang answered hesitantly. "Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles."

          "His moves do seem a bit… theatrical almost don't they," Celina pointed out, imputing her opinion.

          "What do you think, Sokka?" Aang asked, wanting to hear what all his friends thought.

          "Ha ha! Whoo!" Sokka cheered with the crowd, not paying attention to the others.

          "I think he's really enjoying himself," Celina commented.

          Celina, Katara, and Aang watched on as The Boulder defeating opponent after opponent while Sokka got more and more into the tournament. The girls couldn't help but wince in annoyance whenever Sokka shouted an obnoxious remark at the fighters. They had lost hope in finding Aang a teacher until it came time for The Boulder to face off against the champion.

          "Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The Boulder versus your champion… The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced. The audience began to chant 'Bandit' as a small girl stepped out into the ring, holding a large prize belt.

          "She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asked unsure.

          "I think she is," Aang said. Celina strained her eyes, catching a glimpse of The Blind Bandit's milky irises, confirming their suspicions.

          "I think she is… going down!" Sokka yelled into his sister's ear, earning him a hard elbowing to the ribs. Quieted by pain the gang went back to watching the match between The Blind Bandit and The Boulder.

          "The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl."

          "Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder," The Blind Bandit mocked.

          "The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-a-lache!"

          "Whenever you're ready… The Pebble," The Blind Bandit laughed.

          At this point, The Boulder was enraged from being made inferior by a little girl. "It's on!" he shouted.

          The Boulder let out a battle cry and stepped forward to attack. As he was about to bring his foot down to summon up a rock The Blind Bandit, with a simple kick of her heel, sent a line of earth at him, redirecting The Boulder's foot and caused him to do the splits. He let out a cry of pain and before he had any time to recover The Blind Bandit sent three stalagmites of earth at him, ejecting him from the ring and slamming him into a wall. The Blind Bandit smiled a sly smile as her victory was announced.

          "Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced to the crowd.

          "No!" Sokka cried, disappointed that his favorite lost while the rest of the crowd cheered.

          "How did she do that?" Katara asked in disbelief.

          "She waited, and listened," Aang smiled. "I think I found my earthbending teacher."

          "That's wonderful," Celina said, happy that their search paid off.

          "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced, holding up a sack of gold. "What? No one dares to face her?"

          "I will!" Aang volunteered excited.

          "No, Aang!" Celina whispered to him. She tried to grab hold of his shirt to stop him but the airbender was quick and managed to get himself into the ring.

          "Go Aang! Avenge The Boulder!" Sokka shouted down to him.

          "Why don't you want Aang going down there?" Katara asked.

          "Because he's introduced himself as a threat to her title," Celina explained.

          "But I'm sure he doesn't really want to fight. He probably just wants to talk," Katara pointed out.

          "It doesn't matter. To her, he's just another challenger to fight. If he wanted to just talk then Aang should've caught her after the tournament," Celina continued.

          The girls sat in their seats on edge as they looked down at the ring.

          "Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" The Blind Bandit dismissed, bored. The crowd ooooh at her taunting.

          "I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you," Aang told her.

          "Boo! No talking!" Sokka booed Aang.

          "Don't boo at him!" Katara chastised, smacking her brother.

          They watched as Aang took a step towards The Blind Bandit, she smiled and stomped the ground. A large rock shot out from the ground beneath Aang, launching him into the air. She was surprised however when Aang landed on the ground, softly behind her.

          "Somebody's a little light on his feet. What's your fighting name, The Fancy Dancer," The Blind Bandit continued to mock. Aang merely shrugged before being sent flying into the air once again. He responded by somersaulting through the air. "Where'd you go?"

          "Please, wait!" Aang begged as he landed behind her.

          "There you are!" she said, ignoring him.

          Turning quickly The Blind Bandit summoned a boulder and threw it at him. The crowd cheered, sensing her impending victory. Thinking quickly Aang jumped into the air to avoid the attack and then airbended the rock backward. The result was not only the boulder being blown backward, but The Blind Bandit as well, all the way off the arena. There was silence as everyone stared on in shock before roaring applause broke out. With her loss, The Blind Bandit stalked away.

          "Please listen! I need an earthbending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you," Aang called down to her.

          "Whoever you are, just leave me alone," she bit back.

          Stomping her foot The Blind Bandit opened a door in a wall and walked through. Before Aang could say any more she closed the wall in a swift motion. Aang dropped his head, saddened as the Water Tribe siblings approached Aang on stage. Sokka excitedly ran over to Xin Fu, grabbing the prize money and the champion belt and celebrated.

          "Way to go, champ!" Sokka congratulated him, not understanding what went down.

          "See why I didn't want you volunteering?" Celina asked.

          "What are we gonna do?" Aang questioned.

          "Don't worry, we'll find her again," Katara assured him, pulling him into a hug.

* * *

          The moment Celina arrived in the Spirit World when she went to sleep Bitten was there to greet her. She didn't get a word out before he dragged her off to a secluded spot in the temple's gardens for their lesson. He sat her down in a chair before he began.

          "Alright, first thing on the schedule is for you to use that flirting advice I gave you last night on me. Or do you need a little refresher?" Bitten asked, wiggling his eyebrow suggestively.

          "Look, I really don't feel like doing that. I already managed to get two boys to give me information by using the advice you gave me. Besides I have other things on my mind. We've got someone to find in the human world and it's not gonna be easy," Celina explained, not interested in the lesson.

          "You actually flirted your way to information?" Bitten chuckled.

          "Don't… don't act so surprised," Celina stuttered, a bit of blush rising to her cheeks.

          "No, it's just… I didn't think you'd use your feminine charms for evil so quickly," Bitten smirked.

          "I didn't use my… feminine charms, for evil. Besides what did you expect me to use them for? To get myself a date? Get real, we're in a war. There's no time for me to be dating. Especially with everything I have to do," Celina told him, getting defensive.

          "Lady Celina, love is important. Even in times of war because otherwise there is nothing but hate. Your father, The Spirit of War, even stopped to find love. And I'm certain your mother, my Mistress, would like there to be a little more love in the world. Besides, it always nice to have someone there who truly cares for you," Bitten explained, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands in his. Celina blushed as she looked down at their hands.

          "Bitten… that was… very moving. But there's just no time for me to date. Between traveling and trying to unlock my spirit abilities… there's just no time," Celina told him earnestly.

          The spirit looked into Celina's eyes. He could see that she did understand what he said but he also saw how right she was. Truthfully, he should have expected it. Celina was traveling with the Avatar and her adoptive siblings to try and stop the war, not only did she have to worry about helping Aang but she also had her own problems to figure out such as her spirit powers. Sighing in defeat Bitten released her hands.

          "Alright, but my Mistress tasked me with teaching you to flirt so our lessons will have to continue," Bitten said.

          "That's fine," Celina submitted. "Teach away."

          Bitten stood up and gave her a smirk. "Good, I've been dying to see what that cute little blush of yours would look like a few shades darker," he said.

          And indeed, he saw.

* * *

          Ever since Aang defeated The Blind Bandit the other night Sokka had taken to wearing the tournament belt. He'd been displaying it so that everyone in town could see along with the bag he bought the day before which matched up well.

          "I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly," Sokka said to the others.

          "That is a big relief," Katara responded sarcastically.

          "If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start," Aang told them, reminding the two why they were out about town in the first place.

          "Yeah, I'm sure she frequented that place," Celina muttered to herself sarcastically.

          As the four entered through the gates of the Earthbending Academy Celina spotted Mondo and Taka doing some earthbending exercises. Hearing someone come in the students looked up. They glared at the others but as soon as the boys spotted Celina soft, swooning, smiles appeared on their faces.

          "Hey, Hina, it's nice to see you again," Mondo greeted her.

          "Are you here to see us work out?" Taka asked, flexing his muscles to try and impress her.

          Celina gave the boys a smile and a wave while Katara leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Hina?" she questioned.

          "I didn't want to give them my real name," she explained.

          "Hey, you're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit," Taka remembered, walking up to Aang.

          "We need to talk to her. Do you guys know where she lives?" Aang asked.

          "The Blind Bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears," Mondo told him. Aang hung his head with disappointment.

          "Is there anything else you can tell us?" Celina asked, leaning in a bit close and batted her eyelashes.

          A light bit of blush warmed the students' faces. "Sorry but that's all we can tell you. No one knows where she goes, or who she really is," Taka apologized.

          "Hm… maybe we're asking about the wrong person," Aang mused to himself. "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"

          "Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family. They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world," Mondo answered.

          "Yeah, but they don't have a daughter," Taka added.

          "Flying boar is good enough for me. Let's check it out," Aang said and began to leave the Academy.

          "Thanks, so much for your help guys," Celina thanked them, giving them a sweet smile.

          "For a beautiful girl like you? It was no problem," Mondo blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

          "Hey, we were wondering… would you like to go get something to eat after we're done training. I would be our treat," Taka offered.

          Celina blushed. "Uh… I'm sorry guys but…"

          "Sorry but unfortunately we need her help if we're gonna find who we're looking for," Katara said, coming in to save her sister. Celina just gave the boys an apologetic smile as Katara took her arm and pulled her out of the Academy.

          "Thanks for the save," Celina whispered to her sister.

          "Of course, that's what sisters are for," Katara replied with a smile.

* * *

          The gang managed to locate the Bei Fong household pretty easily. After all, it was the largest house in the entire town and the flying boar symbol on the front doors made it quite obvious. Aang decided that the best way in was to sneak in and airbended himself over the wall. Celina disliked the idea but with her siblings already climbing their way over she sighed and began to join them. She was part way down a tree she was using to shimmy down the other side of the wall when Celina saw the others get thrown up into the air. Sokka landed hard on the ground while Aang and Katara were lucky enough to land on a bush, cushioning their fall. Celina was glad she was spared when she saw the cause of them being toss was The Blind Bandit herself, just now dressed in a fancy white gown.

          "What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?" The Blind Bandit demanded, unimpressed.

          "How did you know it was me?" Aang asked.

          "Don't answer to Twinkle Toes. It's not manly!" Sokka whined.

          "You're the one whose bag matches his belt," Katara shot back.

          "Please you two, no bickering," Celina scolded them as she made her way off the tree and over to them.

          "How did you find me?" The Blind Bandit demanded.

          "Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and…" Aang went to explain.

          "Try a less crazy approach," Celina interrupted.

          "What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat The Fire Lord," Katara explained better.

          "Not my problem. Now get out of here or I'll call the guards," the Blind Bandit threatened.

          "Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending," Sokka said.

          "Guards! Guard, help!" the Blind Bandit cried out, staying true to her threat.

          The gang acted quickly, finding an exit before the guard would arrive to discover their presence. The Water Tribe siblings breathed heavily on the other side of the wall, trying to catch their breath while Aang watched The Blind Bandit interact with the guards.

          "You see why I didn't want to go in this way?" Celina said.

          "Then what would you suggest?" Sokka asked a bit annoyed.

          "I was gonna use the front door. Aang is the Avatar and a rich family like the Bei Fongs would probably jump at the offer to host the Avatar and his friends for dinner," Celina explained.

          "That's a brilliant idea!" Aang exclaimed as he jumped down next to his friends.

          It didn't take much for the four of them to get inside the Bei Fong house. Lao Bei Fong was super excited to hear that the Avatar decided to visit them that he arranged for a big dinner to welcome Aang and his friends. Besides the gang and the Bei Fong's Master Yu also joined them at the dinner table. Sokka was quick to jump into dinner, eating like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

          "Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us," Mrs. Bei Fong said to him.

          "In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked.

          "I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first," Aang answered, looking suggestively at The Blind Bandit, whose name was Toph, who in return looked unhappy about Aang's presence.

          "Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little," Yao offered.

          "Yeah, sure," Celina mentally scoffed.

          "Then she must be a great earthbender, probably good enough to teach someone else," Aang said. Everyone watched as he hopped up from his seat in pain. "Ow!" It was clear to the gang what the cause of this was and it was confirmed when Aang glared at Toph. She simply smiled and continued eating, acting like nothing happened.

          "Toph is still learning the basics," Yu informed Aang.

          "Yes, and sadly because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master," Lao said sadly.

          "Maybe not. Those with disabilities are typically stronger in other ways. One of our friends lost both his legs in a raid but he managed to get around by gliding. He's almost as good as Aang. With his help, we managed to take out a bunch of Fire Nation tanks. As for your daughter, typically when one of the senses are gone the others are heightened. I'm sure with those heightened senses your daughter can be a great earthbender," Celina spoke up.

          Celina braced herself, expecting to receive a blow from Toph like Aang did but was surprised when it never came. Looking up she could see the shock on Toph's face. The shock that someone came to her defense like that. She wasn't saying that Toph would be too weak. No. Celina sounded supportive, something Toph hadn't genuinely heard in a very long time.

          "Those are wise words for someone so young," Yu commented.

          "Well, when you travel around as much as we do you pick up some things. It's important not to underestimate someone," Celina replied.

          "See! I'm sure Toph's better than you think she is," Aang pointed out.

          This statement instantly reminded Toph about how unhappy she was with Aang. Annoyed she sent another bit of earth at him underneath the table. It, in turn, managed to send Aang's chair forward, forcing his face into his bowl of food. Pulling his face out of his soup Aang let out a sneeze, blowing food all over Master Yu, Mrs. Bei Fong, and Toph.

          "What's your problem?" Toph demanded angrily.

          "What's your problem?" Aang shot back.

          Everyone sat uncomfortably in their seats as Aang and Toph glared daggers at one another. "Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert then?" Mrs. Bei Fong offered, trying to break up the awkwardness. Master Yu, Yao, and the Water Tribe siblings nodded in agreement while Aang excused himself to go take care of Appa and Toph left for her room.

          They must have been in the living room for twenty minutes or so, enjoying desserts and chai tea (which Celina found she loved, much to her dismay remembering her vision in the swamp), they heard loud noises coming from the garden. Everyone ran outside to see what was going on. What they saw was two big impressions made in the ground and a sword stuck in the ground, pinning a scroll to the ground. Sokka retrieved the scroll and brought it over to his sisters.

          "Whoever took Aang and Toph left this," Katara gathered, watching as Celina opened the scroll.

          "'If you want to see your daughter again, bring 500 gold pieces to the arena.'" Celina read. "It's signed, 'Xin Fu and The Boulder.'"

          "I can't believe it," Sokka said before grabbing the scroll out of his sister's hands. "I have The Boulder's autograph!" Celina and Katara shot annoyed looks over to him in response.

          "Master Yu, I need you to help get my daughter back," Lao told Yu.

          "We're going with you. The ones who took Toph must have Aang as well," Celina said.

          "Poor Toph. She must be so scared," Mrs. Bei Fong worried.

* * *

          Celina, Sokka, and Katara lead Lao and Yu to the arena after Lao managed to get the gold demanded in the ransom letter. When they arrived, the group saw Toph and Aang hung up in metal boxes while Xin Fu and the other Earth Rumble 6 fighters stood alongside him. Sokka handed the money over to Xin Fu who in return released Toph from her cage. She quickly ran over to her father who began to guide her away with Master Yu.

          "What about Aang?" Katara demanded.

          "I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar. Now get out of my ring," Xin Fu told them, holding up a wanted poster of Aang.

          Looking around the ring it was clear to the Water Tribe siblings that they wouldn't stand a chance against all the earthbenders on Xin Fu's side. "Go. I'll be okay," Aang urged his friends.

          Thinking quickly Celina grabbed her siblings and ran to catch up with Toph. Her, her father and Master Yu turned around when they heard them approach. "Toph, there's too many of them. We need an earthbender. You've beaten them we need you," Celina pleaded with the young girl.

          "My daughter is blind. She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you," Yao told the water trio, anger.

          "Yes, I can," Toph said, yanking her hand from her father's.

          Celina, Sokka, Katara, and Toph ran back up into the ring just in time to see The Hippo starting to carry Aang's cage away. Toph stopped Xin Fu and the other earthbenders by bending a large jagged wall of rock in front of them, blocking their path. The group turned around in response.

          "Let him go. I beat you all before, and I'll do it again," Toph demanded.

          "The Boulder takes issue with that comment," The Boulder replied.

          Accepting Toph's challenge The Hippo tossed Aang's cage to the arena floor before he got into position like the rest of the Earth Rumble 6 benders. The Water Tribe siblings went to prepare – grabbing and summoning their means of attack, Sokka his boomerang and Celina and Katara water – but Toph held out their arms to stop them.

          "Wait. They're mine," Toph told the trio.

          The three of them were surprised but nodded, letting Toph do her thing. Toph prepared, stomping the ground and raised her arms, waiting for the others to make their move. When the others ran to attack her Toph stomped the ground yet again, sending a cloud of dust up into the arena, blinding the other benders. Everyone watched as Toph headed into the dust cloud, ready to kick ass. Celina, Sokka, and Katara hurried over to the metal cage that Aang was being kept him, insistent on helping their friend while their enemies were distracted. Katara headed to the bottom, trying to yank it open, while Sokka repeatedly hit the lock with a rock.

          "Hit it harder!" Aang instructed.

          "I'm trying!" Sokka replied.

          "Sokka, wait!" Celina said. Sokka stopped with his banging and gave his sister a confused look. She ignored him and summoned water from her water skin and directed it at the lock, freezing it. "Alright, try now."

          Her brother was skeptical but after a few hits with the rock, he managed to break the lock completely. They continued with this system and within a few minutes released Aang from his prison. Now free Aang got into attack position to help defeat the Earth Rumble 6 benders but Sokka waved him off and pointed out the pile of benders that Toph took out already. Their attention turned to the dust cloud however as not only The Hippo and The Boulder stepped out but so did Toph. They prepared an attack with help from another bender trying to be sneaky but Toph was ahead of them, turning the platform they were on so that the surprise bender took the other two out. With only Xin Fu left Toph dissipated the dust, clearing the area. The two circles each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. It was Xin Fu who moved first, throwing five boulders at Toph. She blocked them, putting up a pyramid shaped shield, and then shot half of it at Xin Fu. He dodged, launching himself into the air. He tried to send another boulder at her but Toph moved out of the way and sent the remainder of her shield at Xin Fu, sending him flying out of the ring. The gang cheered and ran over to Toph to celebrate. It looked like they found a new friend and Aang's earthbending teacher.

* * *

          After defeating Xin Fu and the Earth Rumble 6 benders the gang, Toph, and her dad returned to the Bei Fong home. Currently, the gang stood off to the side while Toph addressed her mom and dad who sat in front of her.

          "Dad, I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me. But I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me," Toph said to them.

          "Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something," Tao replied.

          "It has?" Toph asked hopeful.

          "Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day," Tao told her.

          "But dad!" Toph protested.

          "We are doing this for your own good, Toph," Mrs. Bei Fong explained.

          "You're making a mistake. Sheltering your daughter, even more, isn't going to do any good. It's only gonna make her resent you in the long run. You should be embracing her talents not stifling them," Celina spoke out.

          "Silence! Guards, please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here," Tao ordered.

          Celina glared at the guard who pushed her along and shot another glare at Toph's parents before leaving with the others.

* * *

          The gang stood on a cliffside, packing up and preparing to fly off on Appa. Everyone was a bit sullen after having to leave without Toph. Well… Celina was also stewing a bit, angry with Toph's parents.

          "Don't worry. We'll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there," Katara assured Aang.

          "Not like her," Aang sulked.

          "Idiot parents," Celina grumbled to herself as she helped Sokka pack up the last of their supplies. With everything packed up the gang boarded Appa and were about to take off when they noticed Toph running towards them.

          "Toph!" the four of them exclaimed, excited to see her.

          "What are you going here?" Aang asked.

          "My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world," she told them.

          The Water Tribe siblings exchanged a glance, knowing full well that her dad didn't change his mind, but none of them wanted to call her out on that. "Well, we'd better get out of here before your dad changes his mind again," Sokka said.

          "Good idea," Toph agreed.

          "You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph," Aang smiled.

          "Speaking of which, I want to show you something," Toph told him, a sly smile on her face.

          "Okay," Aang said and airbended himself out of Appa's driver seat and landed in front of Toph. He didn't stay there for long as Toph tapped the ground with her foot, causing a tock to erupt from the ground and throw Aang up into a tree.

          "Now we're even. I'll take the belt back," she said. Sad about giving up the tournament belt Sokka unhooked it from his waist and tossed it down on her. But with Toph being blind she wasn't about to catch it, causing her to get hit on the head. "Ow!"

          "Sorry," Sokka apologized.

          "Nice going, bro," Celina commented and then gave Toph a hand in helping her onto Appa's saddle. With a new earthbending teacher a part of the group the newly expanded gang flew off into the night.

* * *

          Bitten and Celina walked through the temple, him escorting Celina to her parent's room. While Celina was totally fine with the flirting lessons from him to continue, she was missing spending time with her mom and dad. So, they came to an agreement that after every two lessons Celina would spend the next night with her parents.

          "So, I was thinking, about the whole you not having time to date thing," Bitten said, interrupting the silence. "I know that in the human world you have no time but how open are you to dating while you're here in the Spirit World?"

          "I… I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'd be willing to give it a try," Celina said.

          "Great! So, uh, how does tomorrow night sound?" Bitten asked, stopping right outside the door to her parent's room.

          "Are you asking me out?" Celina questioned, a bit of blush spreading across her cheeks.

          "That was the plan," Bitten replied. "So, what do you say?"

          "I… I guess it's a date," Celina accepted.

          "I'll see you tomorrow then," Bitten smiled.

          "See you tomorrow," Celina agreed. A soft smile settled on her face as she entered her parents' room. Her first date. Celina was looking forward to what tomorrow night would bring.

* * *


	7. The Chase

          Celina talked with Katara as the gang unpacked their supplies from Appa's saddle. Ever since they woke up Katara noticed this slight glow of excitement in her sister along with this smile she'd never seen before. Katara just needed to find out what was going on. She made sure to pull Celina to the other side of Appa, away from the others so that they could talk in private.

          "Alright, so tell me, what's got you all smiley?" she asked her sister.

          "I don't know what you're talking about," Celina tried to brush off a bit coy.

          "Oh, don't try that with me, Celina. I've known you all my life and never once have I seen you like this. So, tell me, what happened?" Katara asked once again.

          "Alright, so you remember Bitten?" Celina submitted.

          "The spirit your mom asked to teach you flirting? Yes, he does sound familiar," Katara giggled. Celina playful slapped her sister's arm, looking around and hoping the others didn't hear her.

          "Yes, well, he asked me out last night and I accepted," Celina told her.

          Katara let out an excited squeal, causing Celina to cover her hand over his sister's mouth as to not alert the others. "Celina, that's wonderful!" Katara celebrated. "You deserve to have some fun. When is this happening?"

          "Tonight," Celina answered.

          "You're gonna have to give me all the details when you get back," Katara told her.

          "We'll see," Celina smiled and walked back to the other side of Appa to continue unpacking.

          "Hey, you guys picked a great campsite. The grass is so soft," Toph said.

          "That's not grass," Sokka pointed out. "Appa's shedding."

          Looking down at the ground they all saw, minus Toph, that it was covered in a layer of white fur. It was coming off the sky bison with ease, the shedding only increasing when they ran their hands through Appa's fur. Celina could see how this could potentially become a problem but she also saw an opportunity. She'd gotten a good clump of shedding fur from Appa before and was able to transform it into a doll by shaping it with one of their sewing needles. She was able to sell it for some cash when they stopped by a market. With the amount he was shedding she'd be able to make plenty of needlepoint dolls. Scooping some up from the ground Celina stuffed it into her bag for later use. Katara, however, wasn't as pleased as she was.

          "Oh, gross!" Katara whined.

          "That's not gross, it's just a part of spring. You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat!" Aang replied.

          "Ah, the beauty of spring," Katara commented before Appa sneezed, causing more fur to fly off him. "Stop, Appa, stop!"

          "It's not that bad, Katara. It makes a great wig!" Sokka told her, revealing the pillar of fur he piled on top of his head.

          "And a great beard!" Aang added, hoping down off Appa with a large mustache and beard on his face. The two boys laughed at each other and Celina couldn't help but giggle.

          "I'm just glad we have another girl in the group because you two are disgusting," Katara said unamused.

          "Excuse me, does anyone have a razor… because I've got some hairy pits!" Toph asked, showing off the bunches of white fur she'd stuck underneath her arms.

          Her, Sokka, and Aang burst into a fit of laughter. Caught up in the laughter Aang sneezed, sending him flying backward into Appa's leg. The laughter paused but picked right back up, Celina joining this time. Katara sent Celina a look, wondering how she could be laughing at their antics.

          "Oh, lighten up, sis. It's funny," Celina told her. A smile slowly spread across Katara's face before she fell victim to a giggle fit.

* * *

          Celina sat around the fire, mixing the stew she'd made with some of the supplies they'd gotten back at the last town. Night time had fallen and it was about dinner time for everyone. Cooking wasn't that difficult. Both she and Katara had gotten significantly better, having had to adapt to the different area's they camped along with learning new recipes from places they'd visited. Plus, their waterbending allowed for easy stirring and ladling. Katara next to Celina, simmering a bit like their dinner, helping Celina with she needed it.

          "Is something wrong?" Celina asked, picking up on her sister's mood.

          "I'm just a bit mad at Toph. I tried to explain to her how things work around camp but she completely blew me off," Katara sighed, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

          "When did this happen?" Celina questioned.

          "When you were off gathering a few fresh nuts and vegetables for the stew," Katara answered. "It's just so frustrating. I don't understand how she can't get with the program and do things the way we've always done them."

          "Katara, you need to calm down. Remember that Toph isn't used to this sort of thing. She'd had someone always over her shoulder doing things for her. I think she just wants to show us that she can be independent," Celina told her.

          "Yeah, well she can start by helping us around camp," Katara muttered.

          Celina shot her sister a glare, telling her that she wasn't impressed with her attitude. Katara immediately shrunk back, embarrassed, her and Celina were the ones who tried to keep it together and here she was throwing a hissy fit. Celina grabbed a bowl and filled it with stew before handing it to Katara.

          "Here, go take her this as a peace offering," Celina suggested.

          She watched as Katara got up and headed over to Toph and her stone tent. She thought things were going well when Toph took the bowl and happily gulped the stew down. That changed however when an aggravated look crossed Katara's face as Toph brushed her off and headed inside her tent. Celina just let out a sigh as she filled the rest of their bowls, hoping that things would blow over tomorrow. Besides, she wouldn't let the negative energy floating around get to her. She had a date and she wasn't going to let the others spoil that for her.

* * *

          Celina was excited when she went to bed that night. Drifting off to sleep Celina headed off to The Spirit World, arriving at the entrance to the temple's garden. Feeling a bit nervous Celina smoothed down her clothes and hair, hoping that she looked presentable. Hearing her name being called she stopped with her fiddling and looked up to see Bitten coming from the center of the garden. She gave him a small smile and wave. Bitten began to walk towards her when Celina felt that something was wrong.

_"There's something coming towards us!"_

          She heard Toph call out from the human world. Celina was instantly woken up, disappearing from the Spirit World much to the confusion of Bitten. Now back in the human world, Celina left her shared tent with Katara, trying to find out what going on just like the others.

          "What is it?" Aang asked Toph.

          "It feels like an avalanche… Bur also not like an avalanche," she explained, trying to pick up on the vibrations she was feeling.

          "Your powers of perception are frightening," Sokka commented sarcastically.

          "Should we leave?" Katara asked.

          "Yeah, it's better to be safe than sorry," Celina decided.

          Packing up as quick as they could the gang jumped onto Appa and flew away from where Toph sense the oncoming mystery. As they were flying away the Water Tribe siblings looked back to catch a glance at what was chasing them. What they noticed was a train like tank with smoke pouring out of it.

          "What is that thing?" Katara asked.

          "Whatever it is it isn't good," Celina commented. "We need to get as far away from that thing as we can."

          And so, they continued to fly, the five of them trying their best to stay awake as they did so. Well, the others were, Celina didn't have that hard of a time. She'd been dealing with insomnia for years and while she had been getting pretty good sleep because her trips to the Spirit World stopped her nightmare stay up came naturally. They flew for a while until Appa landed on a large hill. Toph was the first one off, jumping happily to the ground.

          "Ahh, land, sweet land!" Toph exclaimed. "See you guys in the morning!"

          "Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked.

          "Really? You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" Toph questioned. From the corner of her eye, Celina saw Sokka smell his sleeping bag and recoil from its stench.

          "Well, yeah. That and everything else. You're a part of our team now and…" Katara tried to explain.

          "Look. I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight," Toph interrupted, irritated.

          "Hey, you two calm down," Celina told them, hoping to stop a fight from brewing. Unfortunately, that didn't happen as they completely ignored her.

          "Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful," Katara said.

          "What? Look here, Sugar Queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!" Toph shouted at Katara before making herself another tent of stone.

          " _Sugar Queen!"_ Katara shrieked, not liking the nickname. Toph just responded by bringing a slab of earth up to cover the opening of her tent. "Did you just slam the door in my face! How can you be so infuriating!"

          Celina, Sokka, and Aang stood by watching as Katara grumbling angrily around Toph's tent.

          "Should we… do something?" Aang asked a bit hesitant.

          "Hey, I'm just enjoying the show," Sokka shrugged.

          Celina groaned at her brother before heading over to Katara. "Okay, you both need to calm down," she told her.

          "I'm completely calm!" Katara shouted hysterically.

          "Really?" Celina questioned, raising an eyebrow. "If you're so calm then you should head to bed. You stay calm over there while I get your sleeping bag. And I don't want to see you and Toph fighting again."

          Katara grumbled, more to herself this time, as Celina lead her away from Toph's tent. She did as Celina asked as her sister retrieved her sleeping bag. The three, calm people decided to only unpack the sleeping bags for now. They didn't get any sleep though as Katara and Toph exchanged more insults, earning Katara to get sent up into the air through earthbending, something she had coming to her after poking fun at Toph's blindness. That wasn't the only thing though as Toph alerted everything that what was chasing them was back, causing the gang to quickly pack up and leave once again.

          "Seriously, what is that thing?" Katara asked.

          "And how does it keep finding us?" Toph added.

          "I don't know, but this time I'm going to make sure we lose 'em," Aang said, taking control of Appa's reigns.

          They flew for a while, flying over plenty of hills before Appa landed on a clear path on a hill. Once he landed Appa fell over onto his side, causing the gang to fall out of the saddle and onto the ground. They didn't bother getting up and moving. Sokka even just grabbed his sleeping bag and pulled it over himself.

          "Okay, forget about setting up camp. I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep," Sokka said annoyed.

          "That's good because Toph wasn't going to help anyway," Katara commented.

          "Oh, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed," Toph shot right back.

          "Are you two seriously doing this right now?" Celina asked annoyed. The constant fighting was getting on her nerves for sure but the other thing that was bugging her was how much of her date with Bitten she was missing because of all the running they did.

          "Celina's right, there's something after us and we don't even know what or who it is," Aang said, coming to Celina's defense.

          "Hmm, it could be Zuko. We haven't seen him since the North Pole," Katara theorized.

          "Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.

          "Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world," Sokka answered. Celina couldn't help but wince at the word freak. She wasn't going to defend Zuko, but after years of being called a freak, Celina hated people using the word to describe others. She quietly repeated her mantra to herself.

          "What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara asked jokingly.

          "This is a warrior's wolf tail," Sokka said, pointing at his topknot.

          "Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky!" Katara continued to sass him.

          "That doesn't really answer my question," Toph piped up, trying to get back to what she originally asked.

          "Zuko's the Prince of the Fire Nation. He's followed us all around the world trying to capture Aang. The last time we saw him was when we were back in the North Pole, and that was long before we found you. That was back in winter," Celina explained. "That thing does look like it's Fire Nation, though."

          "Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here. So… now would everyone just shhh!" Sokka hushed. Not even a minute of him trying to sleep however and they all heard the machine that was following getting closer. All of them got up when they heard it. "Aww, don't tell me…"

          "That's impossible. There's no way they could have tracked us," Aang said in disbelief.

          "I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph confirmed.

          The five of them ran over to the edge and watched as the machine crawled up over a hill, heading towards them.

          "Let's get out of here!" Katara exclaimed.

          "Maybe we should face them. Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly," Aang suggested.

          "Always the optimist," Sokka sassed.

          "Well it looked like we're about to find out," Celina mentioned, pointing out how the machine was opening up.

          From out of it came the three figures riding giant lizards. As they got closer the gang could see that the people who were following them were the three girls from Omashu. Mai, Princess Azula, and Ty Lee, those were their names Celina remembered. Celina, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph instantly got into battle stances, Sokka having drawn his boomerang.

          "We can take 'em. Three on four," Toph smiled, confident.

          "Actually, Toph, there's five of us," Sokka corrected.

          "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all," Toph explained.

          "I can still fight!" he shouted at her, furious.

          "Okay. Three on four plus Sokka," Toph clarified, still angering Sokka.

          Toph was the first one to make a move as the three girls got closer, bending a large hill of oncoming earth down from where the five were. The hill of oncoming earth didn't stop the girls as their lizards were able to ride over them.

          "Shit," Celina cursed.

          "Well, we wanted to find out who they were. We found out. Now let's get out of here," Sokka suggested.

          Celina, Sokka, Katara, and Aang ran back to Appa while Toph stayed behind for a moment. She assumed an earthbending stance once again and created a large wall of earth in front of the girl's path. That didn't stop them however as Azula shot lightning at the wall, destroying a portion of it. Seeing that running away was a good option Toph earthbended a column underneath her, sending her flying up into the air where she landed in Appa's saddle. With all of them there Appa quickly flew off just escaping a blast of blue fire.

          "I can't' believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu," Katara sulked.

          "Well they didn't mind almost killing Mai's baby brother so I can believe they'd follow us," Celina pointed out.

          "Mai?" Katara questioned.

          "Gloomy knife girl," Celina clarified.

          "I still think we could've taken them," Toph muttered.

          "Are you kidding? The crazy blue firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but last time we saw them one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary," Katara shuttered, thinking back to their fight in Omashu.

          Celina grabbing one of Katara's hands, trying to comfort her. The younger waterbender really appreciated it, giving Celina's hand a squeeze. As they were flying over the hills the gang noticed the sun coming up from one of the biggest hills.

          "Oh no, the sun is rising! We've been up all night with no sleep," Sokka whined.

          "Sokka, we'll be okay," Aang assured him.

          "Are you sure!? I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? And something always happens!" Sokka freaked out.

          "Sokka, take it from the girl who's had insomnia for practically all her life, you'll be fine without one full night's sleep," Celina informed him.

          "So, you're saying you feel fine?" Toph asked.

          "Well no, I'm feeling a bit annoyed. But that's for an entirely different reason," Celina admitted.

          Katara shot her sister a look that screamed sorry while giving her hand another squeeze. Because they were up all night she missed her date with Bitten. Celina let out a sigh, hoping that he'd understand when she explained it to him.

          "Every time we land, those girls are there, so we'll just have to keep flying," Katara spoke up, changing the subject.

          "We can't keep flying forever," Aang muttered.

* * *

          They'd been flying in silence for hours, slumped against Appa's saddle, too tired to talk.

          "So, what's the plan?" Aang yawned.

          "Don't know… too tired to think," Toph replied.

          "I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap," Katara said.

          "Yes! Sleep!" Sokka cheered.

          "The plan is to figure out how they're…" Celina started to tell them but her sentence turned into a scream as they began falling out of the sky. Each of them gripped tightly to Appa's saddle, or in Aang's case his reigns, trying not to fly away from the bison.

          "What's going on!" Toph shouted.

          "Appa fell asleep!" Aang shouted back.

          Everyone was screaming as the fell closer and closer to the ground. Thinking fast, Celina bended the water from her waterskin and sent it splashing into Appa's face. Thankfully for the group, the water woke Appa up, allowing him to try and soften their landing. The group landed back into Appa's saddle, bracing for impact as the bison crashed through trees. When the falling finally came to a stop Appa managed to create a large trench in the dirt behind him, thanks to the crash landing. Everyone was freaked out except for Appa who'd fallen back asleep. Aang headed towards the front of Appa to make sure his buddy was alright.

          "Appa's exhausted," he told everyone.

          "Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them. The plan now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep," Sokka said.

          "No, the plan is to figure out how those three keep managing to find us," Celina corrected.

          "We could have gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues," Katara commented, not listening to what Celina had to say.

          "What!?" Toph shrieked, her hands slamming into the ground, causing cracks in the earth.

          Celina and Aang instantly tried to step in between the feuding girls, Celina facing Toph while Aang faced Katara.

          "Alright, alright! Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest," Aang said.

          "No! I want to hear what Katara has to say. You think I have issues?" Toph challenged.

          "I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier we could've set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep and then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!" Katara said with a mixture of annoyance and sarcasm.

          "You're blaming me for this!?" Toph exclaimed, pushing both Celina and Aang out of her way to get up close in Katara's face.

          "No, no! She's not blaming you!" Aang tried to assure her.

          "No, I'm blaming her!" Katara admitted.

          "Hey! I never asked you for diddly doo da. I carry my own weight! Besides, if there's anyone to blames, it's sheddy over here!" Toph retaliated.

          "What? You're blaming Appa?!" Aang asked in disbelief.

          Realization hit Celina as she caught sight of several clumps of fur all around the crash site. "She's right. They're finding us because they're following the trail of Appa's shedding," Celina deduced.

          "See! The only level headed one here agrees with me!" Toph pointed out. This made Aang mad, and while Celina was the one who recognized the problem all of his anger was directed towards Toph.

          "How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! He is! Appa's carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!" Aang yelled at her.

          There was a moment of silence as all of them took in what Aang said, Celina and Sokka looking at him in horror. Toph was the first to respond as she turned around and walked away, earthbending her bag into her hand.

          "I'm outta here," she told them and continued walking.

          "Wait," Sokka begged, stepping in front of her. Toph moved him to the side easily with her earthbending and then used said bending to accelerate her speed. Celina's immediate reaction was grabbing her bag from Appa's saddle and began to run after the girl.

          "Where are you going?" Katara asked

          "To go fix this mess," she snapped.

          "Do you think she'll listen to you?" Sokka asked sounding unsure.

          "I'm probably the only one here who has a chance. After all, I'm the only level-headed on here," Celina said and then ran off after Toph.

* * *

          Celina was having a hard time trying to find the small earthbending girl as she'd clearly made quite a bit of distance. All Celina had to go off of was the direction she saw Toph run off in. That became even more difficult when she encountered a fork in the path with no hint of which way Toph could have gone. Celina let out a groan of frustration. As she was debating which path to take a familiar figure appeared in her peripheral vision.

          "Hello, friend, I haven't seen you in a while," Celina smiled at him. Standing right beside her was the black fox with two tails who would watch her practice her bending back at the South Pole. "Are you here to help me find Toph?" The fox spirit nodded. "Well, then lead the way."

          The fox spirit didn't waste any time, taking the lead and leading her down the correct path, which happened to be the right one. She followed as the spirit led her out of the forest towards a mountain carved path. It didn't take long before she spotted Toph, squatting next to a fire with an old man.

          "Toph!" she called out as she ran over to her.

          Celina froze however as she noticed that the old man with her was General Iroh. She glanced around looking for any sign of Zuko, not finding him she returned her attention to him. Iroh, however, was looking off in the direction where the fox spirit disappeared. Celina grew worried, seeing that Iroh could see spirits. Toph luckily changed the conversation before Iroh could mention it, even if he was planning to.

          "Celina? What are you doing here?" she asked confused.

          "I came here to find you," Celina explained.

          "Came here to apologize?" Toph smirked.

          "No, I have no reason to apologize to anyone. You're one of the people who need to apologize," Celina replied.

          "So, you took Katara's side," Toph scoffed.

          "I took no one's side. All of you are at fault," she told her. Toph looked like she wanted to argue with her but Celina didn't let her have the chance. Iroh watched on quietly, sipping his tea, curious to see were Celina was going. "It wasn't right for Aang to yell at you, he was completely out of line and regrets it, but you also weren't right in insulting Appa. As for Katara she also wasn't in the right for yelling at you and flinging the blind insults. You're new to the team and don't know how we do things just yet. However, that does not excuse you from skipping out on helping around camp when we ask. We don't carry our own weight, we divide up the chores so things can get done efficiently, especially since we're constantly moving. We're a team, not five people just conveniently traveling together. And don't you dare use the agreement that you gave up everything you had just to travel with us. You and I both know very well that you were itching to get out of there so that you could be who you truly are. So yes, you are just at fault as the others and need to apologize."

          Toph sat silently, she was embarrassed by her actions after Celina yelled at her. Iroh just nodded, impressed by Celina's skills in settling disagreements. He set down his teacup and poured another cup.

          "Please sit, you've come a long way and deserve to have a nice rest," he invited. Celina was hesitant at first but sat down next to Toph and accepted the cup of tea from Iroh. "I have to say, that was quite impressive. I don't typically see young people your age solve problems like you have."

          "Yes, well, I've gotten plenty of practice from breaking up fights between my siblings," Celina replied. Part of her was upset that she was enjoying Iroh's tea so much because of her vision back in the swamp, but the other part was pleased that she was having a nice conversation with a man who respected the spirits. "It can be quite annoying trying to calm down stubborn people while remaining the calm one. Though I'm sure you know plenty about that."

          Iroh chuckled in response which confused Toph. "You two know each other?" she asked. Iroh and Celine exchanged a look, not wanting to tell the young girl their entire history.

          "We've run into each other a few times. Which reminds me, I haven't seen your nephew yet. Where is he?" Celina asked.

          "I've been tracking him, actually," Iroh answered.

          "Is he lost?" Toph asked.

          "Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed and he's gone through very difficult times. He is trying to figure out who he is and he went away," Iroh explained, a concerned look crossing his face.

          "I hope that turns out well for him," Celina commented. Sure, it was a polite thing to say to Iroh, after all, he was Zuko's uncle. But it was also because she really hoped Zuko would become less of an asshole and stop chasing them.

          "Thank you," Iroh replied.

          "So… now you're following him," Toph gathered.

          "I know he doesn't want me around right now, but, if he needs me, I'll be there," Iroh told them.

          "Your nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it," Celina said to him. She took one last sip of her tea before standing up. "Thank you for your hospitality."

          "My pleasure. Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger and an old acquaintance is one of life's true delights," Iroh smiled.

          "Thank you for what you said. It helped me a lot," Toph thanked Iroh.

          "I'm glad," he nodded.

          "And Celina, I'm… sorry for being difficult. You're the only person who's believed in me and has taken my side from the beginning. I'm sorry for making things hard for you and the others," Toph apologized.

          "Thank you, just make sure you apologize to the others as well once we get back," Celina accepted.

          Toph nodded and then turned back to Iroh just before they left. "Oh, and about your nephew? Maybe you should tell him that you need him too," she said to him.

          Iroh considered her words and took a sip of his tea. Just as Celina and Toph were leaving, however, the three of them noticed blue and orange flames coming from an abandoned town at the bottom of the mountainside.

          "Azula," Celina muttered, recognizing the flames. "Looks like she managed to find Aang. Come on, looks like he needs our help."

          Celina, Toph, and even Iroh ran down towards the abandoned village. Surprising for his old age Iroh managed to reach down their first and when they got closer Celina could see why, as Zuko laid on the ground. She couldn't focus on that though, instead, her and Toph needed to focus on Azula who was currently attacking Aang. Toph ran right in once Sokka, Katara, and Aang had Azula surrounded, coming from behind and knocking the Fire Nation princess down with some earthbending.

          "I thought you guys could use a little help," Toph told them.

          "Thanks," Katara replied with a genuine smile.

          Azula took the moment to get up and try to run but Celina came in just in time, gathering the water from her skin and blasting it at the teen, sending her flying towards a corner of a demolished building.

          "That's for making me miss my date," Celina muttered, anger in her eyes.

          "Celina!" her siblings called out, happy to see their sister again. "You made it. How did you manage to find Toph?"

          "Oh, you know I have my ways. But let's focus on the bigger problem at hand," she replied and turned to face Azula.

          Iroh, Zuko, Celina, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph all moved to surround Azula, keeping her from trying to escape again. They had her cornered with all of them ready to send an attack at her. It was seven against one and yet Azula still smirked her I'm-better-than-everyone smirk. Her sinister eyes landed on Celina, remembering that she was the one who blasted her with water along with something else.

          "We finally come face to face. I have to say, I've been itching to meet you ever since hearing about your accomplishment at the North Pole. The way you killed that pathetic Zhao, filling his lungs and dragging his body to the bottom of the ocean, was quite ruthless. I was very impressed when news got back," Azula said to her.

          "You killed someone," Toph asked Celina, shocked.

          "Yes… I'll explain later," Celina answered quickly, not wanting to linger on the topic.

          "Or perhaps you could join me. The Fire Nation could use someone like you, even if you are a Water Tribe peasant," Azula offered.

          "I will never join you," Celina growled.

          "Pity. Well, I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor," Azula surrendered. But her smirk never left and with a quick flick of her wrist sent a blast of blue fire at Iroh, knocking him back.

          Celina was the first one to react. Not completely focused, she sent an ice dagger straight at Azula before running over to Iroh. Azula's eyes widened as the dagger pierced her armor, knowing what if Celina paid more attention the dagger would have actually penetrated her skin. With the first attack thrown Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Sokka attacked Azula. The princess defended herself and then used the black smoke created to make her escape. Celina didn't pay attention to that, instead, she focused on Iroh. Drawing water from her waterskin she went to work healing the burn on his torso. Iroh let out a hiss as soon as the water touched his burned skin.

          "It's okay, Iroh, I got you. You're going to be alright," Celina assured him.

          Taking a deep breath Celina began the healing, the water glowing it's healing blue glow. Reaching down into his body she was surprised to find that Azula's fire had reached deep, leaving part of his lung partially affected. Starting there, Celina began to heal him from the inside out. She almost lost her concentration when Zuko rushed over to his uncle's side.

          "Uncle! What can I do to help?" he asked Celina.

          "Just keep quiet and let me concentrate," she told him.

          Doing what she said Zuko kept quiet, allowing Celina to heal Iroh, only moving to hold Iroh's hand. As she finished up Celina let out a sigh and examined her work. Luckily for Iroh, she was a master at what she did and after her healing, Iroh would walk away without a scar.

          Celina looked up to talk to Zuko about aftercare for Iroh but paused. Zuko went to ask if something was wrong but paused himself. It was the first time both of them got a good look at each other since the North Pole. Now, the two took a moment to really examine each other.

          Zuko was pleasantly surprised to see that Celina's hair was still down like when he last saw her. The way it fell, framing her face, made Zuko find her more beautiful. He was also surprised to see that she'd changed clothes. Zuko blushed a bit, noticing the way the clothes hugged Celina's curves. There was also a feeling of confidence in the way she held herself now, something he found attractive in the waterbender.

          Celina instantly noticed that his ponytail was gone and that he started growing his hair out, even though it was short. She had to admit, he looked handsome without that stupid ponytail he had originally. The other thing she noticed was how thin Zuko looked in his Earth Kingdom clothes. He'd always wore his armor when they encountered each other in the past, signaling that he would be pretty fit underneath it. Now it looked like he lost weight from malnourishment which caused a small bit of worry to arise in her.

          Both of them snapped out of their thoughts though and got back to what was important, the injured man that Celina just healed.

          "I managed to heal all the damage but he's going to need plenty of rest. He might be out for a day or two but when he wakes up make sure he gets plenty of fluids to help build up his strength. You think you can do that?" she explained to Zuko. He nodded and looked back down at his uncle, seeing that there was no evidence of Azula's attack on Iroh's skin.

          "Celina, come on, we should leave," Sokka called to her. And he was right, it was best to leave now that Azula needed to compose herself and find Mai and Ty Lee if they wanted to go back after the gang. That way the five of them would have plenty of time to get away. As Celina stood up to leave however Zuko caught hold of her wrist.

          "Wait!" he exclaimed. She turned around to see what he had to say. "Thank you."

          A bit surprised all Celina could do was nod in response. Zuko released her wrist and Celina was off, being pulled into Appa's saddle by her brother. As they took off Celina took one last look back at Zuko and his uncle.

* * *

          They flew as far as they could before Appa landed in a small clearing on a hillside. As soon as they landed everyone fell asleep. Celina appeared in the Spirit World as soon as she closed her eyes, right back where she was when she tried to get some sleep the previous night. And right there to greet her was Bitten.

          "You're late?" he teased.

          "Sorry, it's been a crazy few days," Celina smiled.

          "Well, you can tell me all about it on our date," Bitten told her. As he walked up to her, he presented Celina a blue and purple flower. "For you. A pretty flower for a pretty lady."

          A slight blush tinted her cheeks as she accepted the flower. "Quite the charmer, thank you, Bit," Celina replied.

          Bitten chuckled and then offered her his arm. "My lady," he said, which caused Celina to laugh. She happily accepted his arm and Bitten began to lead her further into the garden, beginning to tell her tale of what happened.


	8. Bitter Work

          "My, my, my, it sounds like the shy girl I met not that long ago has transformed into a badass. You've certainly come a long way," Bitten complemented.

          "I wouldn't say badass," Celina chuckled. The two had wandered around the temple's garden while Celina explained what happened to stall their date. They were currently sat on a small bench, taking a break from all the walking. "But yeah, I guess have come a long way since we've met. I've come a long way since I left the South Pole, actually."

          "It's nice to see you becoming confident," Bitten told her and then leaned over to whisper in her ear. "It's extremely attractive." A shiver ran up Celina's spine as blush spread across her face. She might have become more confident than she was before but comments like that still got a reaction. "Good to see I can still get that reaction out of you. I love that blush of yours."

          At that comment, Celina's form began to flicker. "Looks like you won't get to see it for very long," she retorted.

          "Perhaps I'll see it on our second date?" Bitten questioned.

          "I guess," Celina answered, accepting his invitation.

          "Well, let me give you something to make sure you don't miss it," Bitten smiled.

          Before Celina could ask what that might be Bitten moved in and kissed her. Her eyes widened in surprise but it didn't take her long to lean into the kiss, enjoying the feeling of his lips upon hers. When they pulled apart a dreamy smile spread across Celina's face. There was the tiniest flash of disappointment in Bitten's eyes – not that Celina noticed – before it disappeared and a smile of his own spread across his face.

          "I'll see you in two days," he told her.

          As Celina's form finally flickered out she woke up in the human world, a beaming smile on her face.

* * *

          Celina had been humming since the gang arrived at their new campsite, happily setting up camp.

          "You seem happy this morning," Katara commented, knowing very well what Celina was doing last night.

          "Well it's a gorgeous day, why wouldn't I be happy," Celina replied.

          Before Katara had time to question her about what happened on her date Toph sprang out of the rock tent she just prepared. "Good morning, earthbending student!" she exclaimed.

          "Good morning, Sifu Toph," Aang greeted, excited about beginning his training.

          "Hey, you never call me Sifu Katara," Katara pointed out.

          "Well, if you think I should…" Aang began to say before Sokka sat up in his sleeping bag and grumbling angry at them. He was still trying to catch up on sleep that they lost and the others talking wasn't making it easy to do so.

          "Sorry, Snoozles, we'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can," Toph apologized but then sent Sokka flying up into the air with some earthbending. Once he landed he grumbled angrily at Aang and Toph before hopping over to Celina to complain.

          "Can you believe this?! I mean I'm trying to sleep and… Huh, you seem to be in a good mood today," Sokka noticed.

          "Just got a good night's sleep," Celina told him and then went off to finish her chores.

          "Lucky," she heard her brother mumble.

* * *

          After Celina helped set up camp she headed over to a nice place to practice her bending. Aang and Toph invited her to watch Aang's earthbending training but she declined, saying that she felt motivated to do some training of her own. The place she found was a nice forest area with a small stream running through. Satisfied with her practice space Celina started off with her normal training exercise but pushing and pulling the small bit of water in the stream, humming happily to herself. When she was happy with her beginning exercise she moved onto what she was really out here to do. Looking down at a vine lying on the ground Celina focused on reaching inside and grabbing hold of the water within. Finding it she began to bend the water and in turn the vine. It had been a while since she first tried plantbending back in the swamp and now that they found Toph, and a nice place filled with foliage, Celina decided to train more with the new bending form. Moving slowly, she began to bend the vine, twisting and turning, playing with it. When she decided that she had a good enough hold on it she bended the vine to pick up a fallen branch. Wrapping the vine around the branch was simple but it was lifting the branch that was difficult. It was an extra bit of weight that she wasn't used to dealing with while using this certain bending style. Taking a deep breath Celina strengthened her grip on the water inside the vine and in doing so was able to lift the branch. A smile spread across her face, seeing that she was successful.

          Celina continued to practice picking things up with the vine she bent, picking up heavier and heavier things before moving onto trying out other bending exercises. She was in the middle of trying to use the vine as a wipe when someone interrupted her.

          "So, you can bend plants?" Toph asked a bit confused, surprising Celina when she spoke.

          "Oh, Toph. Yeah, it's called plantbending. The water inside the plants allows me to take control and bend it. I met a man in the swamp who could do the same thing. I haven't tried it since then and decided that today would be a good day to practice," Celina explained. Toph nodded. "So, what are you doing here? Is Aang's earthbending lesson over already?"

          "Twinkle Toes isn't listening to my teaching, he refuses to face things head on like an earthbender and because of that, he isn't able to properly earthbend. I sent him off to splash in some water with Sugar Queen," Toph told her.

          "So, you decided to come visit me?" Celina asked. "Not that I mind."

          "Well I have a few questions," Toph answered.

          "Oh?" Celina questioned.

          "Azula mentioned back in the abandoned town that you killed someone and you said that was true. You never got around to tell me about that," Toph said.

          Celina winced. She forgot with everything that had been going on to tell Toph about her secret.

          "Right, that… Well in order for you to understand I need to tell you some other important things. Everything happened back when we were in the North Pole. The Fire Nation was invading and Aang, Katara, and I made our way to this place called the Spirit Oasis to try and talk to the spirits, hoping that they could tell us some information that could help us stop the Fire Nation. Aang went to meditate while I opened myself up for the spirits to come talk to me. I've been able to see spirits for all my life so I was hoping to get them to come out and talk to me. Well, they didn't come out but Aang and I ended up going into the Spirit World. It was there where I learned a lot of things about myself. One was that my waterbending masters turned out to be the Ocean and Moon spirits. The other and biggest discovery was when I met my parents, the spirits of Love and War. Turns out that I'm a spirit sent by my parents to stop this war."

          "Wow, that's… intense. I always got the feeling that you were a powerful bender but I never imagined that you'd be a spirit," Toph admitted in surprise.

          "Yeah, it was a big surprise for me too," Celina admitted.

          "But how does that explain you killing someone?" Toph asked.

          "Well, when we got back from the Spirit World Admiral Zhao, an Admiral for the Fire Nation, had made his way to Spirit Oasis and had taken hold of one of the fish who turned out to be the Moon Spirit, one of my waterbending masters. He killed the Moon Spirit in order to defeat the Water Tribe. I… I went into this spirit trace that my dad caused and then went after Zhao. I killed him not only because he killed the Moon Spirit but because he caused our friend Yue to sacrifice herself to bring the moon back. I didn't even realize what happened until I woke up later."

          There was silence between the two for a little bit. Toph was standing there, taking in the information. "Do you… do you feel bad about killing him?" Toph asked.

          "Truthfully?... No. I feel more bad about not feeling remorseful," Celina admitted.

          It was something no one ever asked her about. Everyone just assumed that she would feel bad about taking a life, and with how distant she acted back after the siege of the North Pole happened it would only enforce that thought. But she didn't. In her mind, even though she wasn't fully in control of herself, Celina killed a bad man who wished a bunch of people harm. He was a man who messed with the spirits and got burned because of it. It was her spirit side that held no remorse for the killing but it was her human side that felt bad for not feeling remorseful.

          "Do you think you'll kill anybody else?" Toph asked.

          "It's a high possibility. It's likely that everyone in our group might kill someone, even Aang. After all, we're in a war, and those aren't typically the cleanest things. It can become bloody. But if I can stop any of you guys from killing someone and do it myself then I will. I can live with it, but I'm not so sure that you guys can," Celina explained.

          "I… I guess I can understand that," Toph replied.

          "And I understand if you need some time to wrap your head around it. After all, it's a lot to take it," Celina said.

          "So, if you're this powerful bender than why is Katara Aang's waterbending master and you aren't?" Toph asked, changing the subject, something that Celina was thankful for.

          "Well, even though I was able to use my spirit abilities back at the North Pole I haven't been able to access them since. I asked Katara if she could take over with Aang's training while I try and focus on finding my spirit powers," Celina answered.

          "But you were Katara and Aang's waterbending master for a while right?" Toph asked.

          "Yeah," Celina confirmed.

          "Then have you got any advice for me? Katara already put in her two cents but I'm hoping you might having something better to say," Toph said.          

          "Hm… well, while your pupil needs to listen to you, you also need to listen to your pupil. Just like they can learn from you, you can learn from them. From what you've said Aang's having trouble learning to stand his ground. Perhaps you need to be more like an airbender and find a different approach to teach him that. Make him want to stand his ground like an earthbender. And perhaps the first thing he needs to learn is how to stand his ground against his earthbending master," Celina advised.

          "Huh, I'll give that a try, thanks, Celina," Toph bid goodbye. "And good luck with your training. Hopefully, you can find your spirit powers soon."

          As Toph walked away to go figure out a new way to get through to Aang, Celina looked back at the vines she'd been practicing with. Perhaps she'd done enough training with plantbending and should move onto something else. It's been a while since she's meditated.

* * *

          Celina sat in lotus position after finding a nice dry spot on a stump. She took a deep breath before beginning to meditate. Moving through her body was easier than it was the last time. But then again, the last time she tried meditating was before they entered the swamp. Before she realized that her self-hatred was blocking her. Before she met Bitten. Before she started becoming more confident with herself. She searched within herself and for a while wasn't finding anything just like her previous tries. When she reached her center whoever Celina discovered something that she never noticed before. It was this nice warm spot but when she went to access the spot Celina found that she couldn't. A frown spread across her face. She finally located where her spirit abilities were and still couldn't access it. Instead of giving up Celina decided to try something different, if she was able to find it by believing in herself then perhaps some encouragement would help.

          "I am beautiful. I am smart. I am strong," Celina began to chant to herself over and over again.

          The warm spot began to vibrate as she chanted. A smile slowly replaced the frown as Celina got closer to accessing her spirit abilities.

          "Celina!"

          The vibrating stopped as Celina was snapped out of her concentration. The frown reappeared on her face as she opened her eyes to see who interrupted her. Standing right there was her sister. Celina initially went to snap at her for breaking her concentration but the concerned look on Katara's face stopped her.

          "Katara, what's wrong?" she asked.

          "Sokka's missing. We've split up to try and find him but so far I haven't found him," Katara explained in a slight panic. "We agreed to meet up at the campsite around sunset and it's almost that time and I'm just worried."

          "Katara calm down. If you guys planned to meet up at the campsite around sunset then we should stick to the plan. Perhaps Aang or Toph found him and if not we'll figure out something from there," Celina told her, getting up from the stump to calm her sister down.

          Katara nodded and without wasting any time the two girls made their way back to the campsite. Being the first ones to arrive Celina watched as Katara paced nervously. Luckily it wasn't long until they saw Aang and Toph, helping Sokka walk back to the campsite.

          "You found him!" Katara exclaimed and then ran over to give her brother a hug.

          "Where were you exactly?" Celina asked.

          "I got stuck in a hole," Sokka answered, causing his sisters to chuckle just a bit. "The whole time that I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realized…"

          "Hey, Katara, look what I can do!" Aang interrupted.

          Now having Katara's attention he shoved his arms forward, causing a large rock formation to break in half.

          "You did it! I knew you would!" Katara grinned and then turned to Toph. "You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?"

          "Actually, I took some other advice. I just needed to act like an airbender and find a different approach," Toph informed her, smiling over at Celina.

          Celina smiled back before turning to her brother, slinging his arm around her shoulder to help move him to a better place. "Come on, let's see if you have any injuries that need to be taken care of."

          "It's nice to know that someone cares," Sokka commented.

          Celina just chucked as they hobbled over to a nice cushy place for Celina to check her brother for injuries.

* * *

          Iroh groaned as he woke up. The last thing he remembered he was facing off against his niece with Zuko and the Avatar and his friends. But now he was in a broken-down shack, away from everyone except his nephew.

          "Uncle!" Zuko cried out, concern written on his face as he went to his uncle's side. "You were unconscious. Azula did this to you, it was a surprise attack."

          "Somehow, that's not so surprising," Iroh commented.

          The older man grunted as he moved to sit himself up against a wall, the area in his ribs feeling sore. He looked down but was surprised to see that there was no bandage and no evidence of a wound, though knowing Azula there should have been. With his uncle up, Zuko handed him a cup of tea.

          "I hope I made it the way you like it," he said.

          Iroh gave him a small smile before taking a sip. It took a lot for Iroh to keep the smile on his face as his tongue met the horrible tasting tea. "Mmmm, good. That was very, uhh… bracing! Now can you explain to me why I have no wound if Azula attacked me?"

          "That would be because of Celina," Zuko answered.

          "Hmm, she's a healer. Very impressive, not all waterbenders are capable of that bending ability. She surely is an impressive young woman," Iroh said.

          "Yeah," Zuko muttered, a slight blush rising to his cheeks as he remembered the beautiful waterbending girl.

          "How did you know she could do this? I assume you wouldn't have let her near me if you didn't know," Iroh asked.

          "I… I've seen her do so before," Zuko answered, remembering back to when he was disguised as the Blue Spirit. He remembered the cooling sensation as she applied her healing waters to his injured arm.

          "Well, it appears we both owe her our lives," Iroh commented.

          There was silence between the two of them for a while as Zuko went into his thoughts. A year ago, the girl was just a thing standing in his way to retrieve his honor. Then she became an annoying distraction, something he had to shake his thoughts from occasionally. Hating that his mind wandered to her when he was alone at night in his cabin and needed comfort. She was beautiful, but she wasn't important. Zuko remembered when they escaped the North Pole after he told his uncle about what happened, Uncle Iroh just went into his thoughts before speaking. Iroh admitted that he carried a bit of respect for the girl for a while. Her strategies were as impressive as her strength. And after seeing how she stood up for the spirits back at the Oasis that respect increased. Zuko was annoyed by what he said, but once he went to sleep the first thing he dreamed of was Celina, floating in a pond of healing water along with the koi fish. And now that he was here in a broken-down shack, a fugitive of the Fire Nation, his mind went back to her. She had saved him, this beautiful, smart, powerful, girl who was supposed to be his enemy saved him and his uncle. Part of him hoped that their paths would cross again and she would talk to him with the same kindness she talked to him with the day before.


	9. The Library

          For the past few weeks, everyone in the gang noticed how content Celina was. They noticed how there was always a smile on her face whenever she was doing chores, training by herself or with the others, or simply trying to unlock her spirit powers once again. Most people were confused as to why this was but Katara had an inkling and that inkling was named Bitten. Katara was correct with her suspicions, not that Celina was telling her much though. Her nights in the Spirit World were something that Celina always looked forward to. It meant another date with Bitten which always ended up with the two of them kissing. He was really bringing out a side of her that Celina never knew she had. One that really liked physical forms of affection and wasn't afraid to initiate them. She herself started a few makeout session in their favorite secluded place within the temple's garden. Celina was careful not to mention much on the nights she spent with her parents. While Ai would be delighted that her daughter was finally having a love life, Celina wasn't sure how her dad would react finding out that it was one of his wife's followers that she was making out with. He was sick enough as it was with the war, she didn't want to give him a heart attack because of a boy. So, Celina happily enjoyed the three things in her life: her family, her friends, and her romantic relationship.

          Celina's excellent mood started spreading to the others which was how Aang came up with the ideas of going on small vacations. They deserved some nice time to relax after all. Plus, it would act as a birthday present as a day before they headed off to their first spot Celina turned seventeen. Aang was the first one to choose since it was his idea, to begin with. For his small vacation, he took the gang to a small prairie field. It didn't look like much at first but knowing Aang there had to be a good reason for the young airbender to take them there. His past stops before the North Pole showed them that. That didn't mean that Sokka didn't complain once they saw where they were though, he was the only one who didn't agree with going on vacation even with a better mood thanks to his sister.

          "What's out here?" Sokka asked as Aang sat on the ground holding a small wooden flute.

          "A lot actually," Toph went to tell Sokka. "There's hundreds of little…"

          "Shhh! I know you can see underground, but don't ruin the surprise. Just watch," Aang interrupted. Happy that he stopped the surprise from being ruined Aang turned his attention back to what he was planning. Putting the flute up to his lips he played a few notes. This, in turn, caused a prairie dog to emerge from a hole and sing the same note. Aang smiled, seeing that it was a success and continued to play different notes that were in turn sung by different prairie dogs popping up from underground. "I'm putting an orchestra together."

          "Orchestra, huh? Well la dee da," Sokka commented unimpressed.

          "Oh, come on, Sokka. It's really cute," Celina gushed. Hearing her complement the prairie dogs only increased their singing which caused her to smile.

          "This is great and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about? We should be making plans," Sokka said.

          "We did make plans. We're all picking mini-vacations," Toph replied.

          "There's no time for vacations," Sokka argued.

          "I'm learning the elements as fast as I can. I practice hard every day with Toph, Katara, and even Celina sometimes. I've been training my arrows off," Aang told him.

          "It's important to remember to take a break occasionally, otherwise you'll end up burning yourself out," Celina reminded them.

          "Yeah. What's wrong with having a little fun in our downtime?" Katara said, agreeing with her sister.

          Sokka crossed his arms, looking a bit annoyed. "Even if you do master all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation. Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house? Knock, knock! Hello, Fire Lord? Anybody home? I don't think so. We need some intelligence if we're gonna win this war."

          "Alright, we'll finish our vacation, and then we'll look for Sokka's intelligence," Katara submitted.

          Aang laughed at the bit of teasing Katara did before opening up a map and showing it to the others. "Your turn, Katara. Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?" he asked. It took a little while for Katara to look over the map before she found something interesting and pointed to it.

          "How about the Misty Palms Oasis? That sounds refreshing," she suggested.

          "Oh yeah, I've been there. It's a pristine natural ice spring, and I usually don't use the word pristine. It's one of nature's wonders," Aang told her.

          "Sounds like a nice place. Especially for some waterbenders wanting to relax," Celina agreed.

* * *

          When they arrived at Misty Palms Oasis everyone was immediately unimpressed. The description that Aang gave them looked nothing like the actual Oasis. The ice spring was about as tall as an adult compared to the glacier the Water Tribe siblings would be used to. All around the spring was sand and huts made from dried mud. The place didn't really deserve the use of the word pristine to describe it. Men glanced at the gang as they approached headed inside what looked to be a restaurant. Stepping inside it was dimmer than other places with wooden tables scattered about. There was a bar where the bartender stood dealing with a patron, preparing him a fruity drink.

          "I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy," Sokka said, giving in a little to the vacation spot.

          As the gang went over to order drinks of their own Celina strayed away towards a bulletin board that managed to catch her attention. There were three wanted posters; one for Iroh, one for Zuko, and one of the Blue Spirit. The wanted poster of the Blue Spirit Celina instantly tore down. She paused for a moment before ripping the other two down, shoving the papers into her pockets. After Zuko and Iroh helped her and the others try and fight off Azula, it was the least she could do to help them. What drew Celina's attention back to her group, however, was when Aang airbended some of the previous patron's spilled beverage off himself.

          "You're a living relic!" the man gasped in awe. Celina quickly headed over to the others, wondering what was going on.

          "Thanks. I try," Aang replied.

          "An Air Nomad, right in front of me," the man muttered before introducing himself. "Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University. Tell me, which of the Air temples do you hail from?"

          "The southern temple," Aang answered,

          "Oh, splendid! Now tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?" Professor Zei continued to question.

          "Uh, are fruit pies an agricultural product?" Aang asked nervously.

          "Oh, truly fascinating. That is one for the journal," Professor Zei said.

          "Perhaps we should find ourselves a place to sit and get to know each other," Celina suggested.

          Nodding in agreement Professor Zei lead the gang over to a table where they all sat down and introduced themselves to the professor. As Sokka, Katara, and Toph drank their drinks from the bar Professor Zei pulled out a pen and some scrolls from his backpack, excited to document information about Aang and the extinct Air Nomads. Sokka, however, was interested in something else.

          "So, Professor, you're obviously a well-traveled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seems to be a little dated," Sokka asked.

          "Certainly," Professor Zei smiled and then handed Sokka one of the scrolls he pulled out. Opening it up Sokka and Celina began to examine the map. To their displeasure though, the map had no updated information about the Fire Nation.

          "What, no Fire Nation? Doesn't anybody have a good map of that place?" Sokka complained.

          "You've made a lot of trips into the desert," Celina noticed, still looking over his map and seeing the hand drawn markings the professor made.

          "All in vain, I'm afraid. I've found lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom, but I haven't managed to find the crown jewel… Wan Shi Tong's Library," Professor Zei admitted.

          "You spent years walking through the desert to find some guy's library?" Toph asked unimpressed.

          "This library is more valuable than gold, little lady. It is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge, and knowledge is priceless," Professor Zei explained.

          "Mm, sounds like good times," Toph replied sarcastically.

          "Oh, it is," he said, not picking up on her sarcasm. "According to legend, it was built by the great knowledge spirit, Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his foxy knowledge seekers."

          Everyone in the gang shot Celina a quick look, wanting to know if she had any information she could contribute. After all, the Spirit World was her thing. Celina thought about it. During her time in the Spirit World, she hadn't really discussed other spirits at all. Conversation mainly stayed within her family of spirits and occasionally the past Avatars and Koh. But the knowledge seekers, perhaps they were like one of her spirit friends.

          "Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world, and put them on display for mankind to read so that we might better ourselves," Professor Zei continued explaining.

          "If this place has books from all over the world, do you think they've got info on the Fire Nation? A map maybe?" Sokka questioned.

          "I wouldn't know, but if such a thing exists, it's in Wan Shi Tong's Library," Professor Zei answered.

          "Then it's settled. Aang, I do believe it's my turn. I'd like to spend my vacation AT THE LIBRARY!" Sokka declared.

          "Uh, hey? What about me? When do I get to pick?" Toph asked.

          "You gotta work here a little longer before you qualify for vacation time," Sokka informed her.

          "What about Celina then? She's been a part of the group since the beginning. Plus this is her birthday present. When is she gonna get her turn?" Toph continued to question, a bit peeved that she didn't get a pick.

          "I don't mind. The oldest usually goes last in these things since the younger ones are usually the more impatient," Celina told her. "I'm sure my turn will come after Sokka's. Besides, I'm pretty interested in the library. Perhaps it's time I find out more about the spirits."

          "Of course, there's the matter of finding it. I've made several trips into the Si Wong Desert and almost died each time. I'm afraid that desert's impossible to cross," Professor Zei mentioned sadly.

          The gang all shot each other a knowing smile. "Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?" Sokka asked.

          "A sky bison? You actually have one?" Professor Zei asked amazed.

          He practically ran out of the restaurant to go see Appa, causing the gang to laugh. With their drinks finished, the four of them walked outside towards where Appa was, outside the gates of the oasis. What they saw was Appa growling at some men. It was Professor Zei that was the one to come to his rescue.

          "Sandbenders! Soo! Away from the bison!" he commanded.

          The sandbenders glared at the professor and the gang, who glared back, as they headed over to their sand gliders, moving away from everyone. Celina instantly headed over to Appa and ran his fingers through his fur, trying to comfort him. Those guys were super shady. She'd have to keep her eye on them once they got back from the desert.

* * *

          The gang and Professor Zei had been flying over the desert on Appa for a while, seeing nothing but sand. While the gang found this a bit boring, the professor was relishing in the moment, absolutely adoring Appa.

          "Tell me, sky bison. Are you the last of your breed?" he asked Appa who just responded with a low roar. The small roar caused the professor's smile to widen. "Oh, delightful! I only wish I spoke his tongue. Oh, the stories this beast could tell." Crawling off Celina's shoulder Momo walked over to Professor Zei and began chattering at him, wanting attention. Professor Zei, however, wasn't impressed. "Shush, chatty monkey." Feeling dejected Momo ran back to Celina who consoled him with pets.

          "It's alright, Momo," Celina cooed.

          "Aw, does this place even exist?" Toph complained, frustrated that they hadn't found the library yet.

          "Some say it doesn't," Professor Zei smiled.

          "Shouldn't you have mentioned that before?" Toph groaned.

          After that everyone was quiet for a while. Hours passed as they continued flying through the air. Toph had her feet up on the saddle, napping; Professor Zei was looking over his notes; Katara was fiddling with her hair; Celina was meditating; Aang was stirring Appa; and Sokka was looked over the desert with a spyglass.

          "It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant ornate building from the air," Katara complained.

          Just as she said that though, Sokka spotted a spire sticking out from the sand. "Down there! What's that?" Sokka instantly pointed out.

          The gang looked over the edge to see what he was pointing at. While Professor Zei and Celina were curious, Katara and Aang were a bit disappointed.

          "Forget it. It's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous," Katara brushed off.

          "No wait," Celina told Aang before he could fly Appa farther away from the spire, something else having caught her attention. From across the sand dunes, a large black fox ran towards the spire with a scroll in his mouth. When the creature arrived at the spire it climbed the walls and entered into a window. Celina focused on the fox and picked up a sense that it was a spirit. "I think that was one of the knowledge seekers."

          "Oh, we must be close to the library!" the professor almost squealed.

          "Actually, I think this is the library," Celina said. "The spire must be the top."

          "It's completely buried," Sokka figured out.

          The smile on Professor Zei's face disappeared as Aang landed Appa next to the spire. Being the first one off Appa, the professor ran over to the spire and fell onto his hands and knees, devastated. The others slowly got off Appa and watched as Professor Zei had a small break down.

          "The library is buried! My life's ambition is now full of sand!" he cried. There was an awkward pause before his mood did a complete 180 as the professor pulled out a small shovel, a smile plastered on his face. "Well, time to start excavating."

          As Professor Zei began to start digging Toph made her way over to the spire and placed her hand upon it. "Actually, that won't be necessary. The inside seems to be completely intact, and it's huge," Toph informed them, having used her bending to see that the spire was connected to.

          "That fox thingy…" Sokka began to say.

          "Knowledge seeker," Celina corrected. "Please be respectful of the spirits, Sokka. You really don't wanna make them mad. Trust me, it's not pretty." Her brother winced, remembering that Celina killed Zhao because of him messing with the spirits.

          "Right, knowledge seeker. Well, it went through a window. I say we climb up there and give it a look," Sokka suggested.

          "I say you guys go ahead without me," Toph told them.

          "You got something against libraries?" Katara asked, sounding a bit offended.

          "I've held books before, and I gotta tell you, they don't exactly do it for me," Toph replied.

          "Oh, right," Katara laughed nervously once she remembered that Toph was blind. "Sorry."

          "Let me know if they have something you can listen to," Toph said.

          Having decided what they were doing, Sokka threw his boomerang with a rope tied to it through the window. After a few tugs to make sure that it was secure Sokka, Katara, Celina, and Zei began climbing the rope (Momo flying up) with Aang joining them after he assured Appa that he didn't have to go underground with them. Descending from the rope into the room the five of them looked around the library in awe. The room was held up with several pillars and archways with owls carved into the arcs, wings spread wide. Behind the archways were miles and miles of tall bookshelves containing thousands of volumes of books.

          "Oh, it's breathtaking. The spirits spared no expense designing this place," Professor Zei said in awe. When they reached the ground, he adjusted his hat and got a better look at the room. "My word! The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol…" Sokka, Katara, and Aang looked at the professor confused before turning to Celina, hoping she could explain it to them.

          "He means an owl," she explained to them, as Momo perched on her shoulder.

          After saying that the sound of feathers rustling caused them to freeze. As all of them were about to run off and escape whatever was watching them an enormous black owl with a white face walked through an archway onto the bridge they were standing on. Sokka, Katara, and Aang tensed while Celina tried to remain calm and Professor Zei approached it excited.

          "Hello!" the professor greeted, bowing to the spirit. "I'm Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University."

          "You should leave the way you came, unless you want to become a stuffed head of anthropology," the spirit threatened. The five of them looked over at a pillar that contained three stuffed animal heads. The professor rubbed his neck and groaned nervously.

          "Are you the spirit who brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka questioned.

          "Indeed. I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows 10,000 things. And the majority of you are obviously humans, which by the way are no longer permitted in my study," Wan Shi Tong told them.

          "What do you have against humans?" Aang asked.

          "Hmm, humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans, like that firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy," Wan Shi Tong explained and then brought his face down to Sokka. "So, who are you trying to destroy?"

          "What? Oh, no, no, no, destroying, we're not into that," Sokka back peddled, a nervous smile on his face.

          "Then why have you come here?" Wan Shi Tong questioned.

          "Um, knowledge for knowledge's sake," Sokka answered, coming up with something.

          "If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it," Wan Shi Tong told him.

          "I'm not lying. I'm here with the Avatar and he's the bridge between our worlds, he'll vouch for me. Not only that but my sister, Celina, is a spirit just like you. She'll also vouch for me. Surely you can trust another spirit," Sokka quickly said, pulling Aang and Celina in front of him for Wan Shi Tong to see.

          "Sokka!" Celina hissed, pissed that her brother revealed that she was a spirit to the professor.

          "You're a spirit?" Professor Zei asked her, amazed.

          Celina winced. "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else about that." Professor Zei nodded and was about to bombard her with questions but she stopped him before he could. "And you can probably find the answers you have about spirits and the Spirit World in the library."

          Wan Shi Tong brushed the others away as he approached Celina, leaning down to examine her properly. She tensed instantly. While both of them were spirits, Celina knew better than to believe that all the spirits got along with each other. That was evident with her parents and the past Avatars.

          "I don't come across many spirits here in the human world, especially ones with solid forms," Wan Shi Tong said.

          "My parents managed to help me cross over through a temporary spirit portal caused by a snowstorm," Celina explained. It wasn't false, that's what did happen, she just left out the part about her being sent over to stop the war. From what Wan Shi Tong told them, that wouldn't exactly fly.

          "And tell me, who are your parents?" Wan Shi Tong questioned.

          "Ai and Bishamon, Love and War," she answered.

          "Two opposites that share such a strong emotion. I'm am curious to see what Passion will do," Wan Shi Tong said. Celina stared at him, a bit confused as to why he referred to her as that. "Hmm, very well. I'll let you peruse my vast collection, on one condition. To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute some worthwhile knowledge."

          Professor Zei was the first one to respond to Wan Shi Tong's request, having dug through his bag and pulled out a thick tome. "Please accept this tome as a donation to your library," he presented.

          "First edition, very nice," Wan Shi Tong commented and accepted the offering. Katara was the next to step forward, holding out the waterbending scroll that she stole from the pirates so many months ago, unrolling it to show Wan Shi Tong the moves.

          "I have an authentic waterbending scroll," she showed him.

          "Oh… these illustrations are quite stylish," Wan Shi Tong said. Taking the scroll from her Katara then bowed and joined the rest of the gang. With Aang next in the lineup, he had to think about what to give the knowledge spirits, not having scrolls like the others had. When he finally thought of something Aang reached into his shirt collar and pulled out his wanted poster. "I suppose that counts." Aang just smiled before Wan Shi Tong turned to Sokka.

          "Oh, great spirit, check this out!" Sokka said and then pulled out a bit of string. He quickly tied it into the shape of a butterfly. Wan Shi Tong stared at him in silence, unimpressed. "It's a special knot! That counts as knowledge."

          "You're not very bright, are you?" Wan Shi Tong said after a brief pause. Sokka frowned at the spirit's commented and then groaned while returning to the group. With Celina next in the group, she began to open up her bag that she brought along with her but Wan Shi Tong stopped her. "That is not needed. You have provided me with the knowledge that there is another spirit in this world and a new one from our home world." With that Wan Shi Tong turned around and walked off into the bookshelves. "Enjoy the library."

* * *

          For a bit, the group split up to search through the shelves, each of them interested in different subjects. Aang was reading up upon different animals, Katara looking at books dealing with Aang's past lives, Sokka searching for anything on the Fire Nation, and Professor Zei… well, he was happy looking at everything. Celina went off to find books regarding the spirits. Her talk with Wan Shi Tong reminded her how little she knew about her heritage and decided that learning more about it might help her in the future. Walking further into the shelves Celina was lead to where she wanted to go by some of the knowledge seekers. She thanked them each with scratches behind the ears which all of them greatly appreciated before running off somewhere in the library. Looking through all the different books the first one that caught her eye was one dealing with relationships between spirits. She pulled it out, hoping that it might give her some advice on developing good relationships with future spirits and perhaps fix her family's relationship with the past Avatars. Opening it up however she was surprised to find that it was about romantic relationships between spirits. Looking up to where she found the book Celina groaned, finally noticing that she was at the end of a section that heavily contained books dealing with love and her mother. As Celina was about to close the book and put it away when she noticed a chapter on soulmates.

          "Soulmates?" Celina muttered curiously and decided to continue reading.

> _A soulmate is a person ideally suited to another as a romantic partner. A person the universe has destined for another. For humans, it is difficult for a person to find a soulmate and even if they manage to locate them, the two may never know that the other person is, in fact, their soulmate. It is highly likely that humans may never even locate their soulmate within their lifetime. Spirits, however, are more fortunate in finding their soulmate. Part of this is because of the immortally spirits contain. The biggest advantage, however, is that after a kiss, a spirit will be able to tell if they have located their soulmate. Being so spiritually connected to the universe, the universe will send a pulsing energy through the spirit's body to alert them that they have found their soulmate._

          Celina stopped reading at that point and shoved the book back onto the shelf. She let a shaky breath as she thought back upon her first kiss with Bitten. There was no pulsing energy that was sent through her body. There was no confirmation that she and Bitten were soulmates. Her body began to shake with anger. Why would Bitten lead her on, knowing that the two of them weren't soulmates? How could he play with her emotions like that? The kisses, the kinds words, was it all because he wanted to elevate his status amongst her mother's followers? Date the higher up's daughter to push yourself closer to the top? Celina's hands curled into fists as beads of tears formed in her eyes. The warmth of her locked spirit powers heated up, burning through whatever barrier was stopping Celina from accessing them. A rush of power shot through her as Celina's eyes glowed the familiar blue glow like they did at the North Pole. It all stayed like that for a few seconds before the glow and the heat disappeared. What stayed, however, was the power she felt, the extra boost of strength that finally made her feel like the spirit she was. She was going to bite his head off tonight when she visited the Spirit World.

          Before Celina could harness her new-found spirit powers and stupidly cause damage to the library, one of the knowledge seekers barked at her. Alerting her to its presence Celina looked at it and was calmed down a bit. Animals, the one thing that Celina couldn't hate. Wanting to calm herself down completely Celina took a deep breath and gently stroked the fox's coat. She didn't want her anger towards Bitten to affect anyone else. Happy that the knowledge seeker not only got acknowledgment but also received some pets, the fox got behind Celina's legs and started to nudge her in a direction, doing what it originally intended to do. Figuring out that the fox wanted her to follow it Celina sucked up her anger and motion for the spirit to lead the way. Following the fox through the library, Celina was lead to a large room where she found Aang, her siblings, and Professor Zei messing with some gears in the center. She watched in awe at once Sokka pulled a switch and the ceiling of the planetarium changed, images of the sun and moon moving across the sky.

          "Wow, I gotta hand it to you, Sokka. You picked the best mini-vacation for sure," Aang commented.

          "Yeah, this is amazing," Celina piped up, walking further into the room towards the rest of the group. The others turned in surprise. Seeing their reactions, she pointed to the knowledge seeker that led her there. "He led me here, and I'm glad he did. This room is incredible."

          Their attention was drawn back to the ceiling as the mechanics stopped, darkening the room as the sun disappeared behind the moon. The others stood around confused. "Hey, wait, what happened to the sun?" Katara asked confused.

          "Great, you must have broken it," Aang said to Sokka.

          "It's not broken. The sun just went behind the moon," Celina pointed out.

          "A solar eclipse! It's literally the darkest day in Fire Nation history. Now I get it!" Sokka figured out. "Something awful happened on that day, I don't know what but I do know why. Firebenders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!"

          "That makes sense. I mean, think of what the lunar eclipse at the North Pole did to the waterbenders. This is huge," Katara agreed.

          "What exactly did I miss when I went off?" Celina asked Aang.

          "Sokka's been trying to find out information on the Fire Nation," he explained.

          "Yeah, that sounds like Sokka," Celina nodded.

          "We've got to get this information to the Earth King at Ba Sing Se. We'll wait for the next eclipse then we'll invade the Fire Nation when they're totally helpless. The Fire Lord is goin' down!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "Damnit, Sokka," Celina cursed, the feeling of regret instantly filling the room.

          "What? Why are you mad? We found out how to defeat the Fire Nation," her brother asked confused. As soon as he asked that the shadow of Wan Shi Tong loomed over them.

          "That's why," Celina answered as they all turned to look at the knowledge spirit.

          "Mortals are so predictable. And such terrible liars," Wan Shi Tong said as he walked closer to them. "You betrayed my trust. From the beginning, you intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes."

          "You don't understand. If anyone's evil, it's the Fire Nation. You saw what they did to your library. They're destructive and dangerous. We need this information," Sokka tried to argue.

          "You think you're the first person to believe their war was justified? Countless others before you have come here, seeking weapons or weaknesses or battle strategies."

          "We had no choice. Please, we're just desperate to protect the people we love," Aang pleaded.

          "And now I'm going to protect what I love," Wan Shi Tong replied.

          Wan Shi Tong started beating his wings, causing strong gusts of winds to fill the room. Everyone braced themselves, sticking close together in hopes to survive the strong winds.

          "What are you doing?" Aang shouted up at Wan Shi Tong.

          "I'm taking my knowledge back. No one will ever abuse it again," he answered. As Wan Shi Tong continued to beat his wings, sand started seeping through the walls into the room.

          "He's sinking the building! We've gotta get out of here!" Katara exclaimed.

          Hearing this Wan Shi Tong started to transform, his neck stretching out several feet and his feathers began to resemble horns. The group watched in terror, backing away from the angry spirit glaring back at them. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. You already know too much."

          Wan Shi Tong shrieked at before lunging towards them. The group dodged out of the way, causing Wan Shi Tong's beak to temporarily become stuck in the ground. This allowed some time for everyone to run out of the planetarium before the spirit was back on their trail. Everyone was sprinting through the library away from Wan Shi Tong who didn't care about destroying his collection in order to catch them. As they were crossing a bridge Professor Zei stopped to beg Wan Shi Tong not to destroy the library, causing Aang to airbend Wan Shi Tong off the bridge to save him. Aang quickly pulled Professor Zei back towards the group on the other side of the bridge.

          "We've gotta get back to the surface," he told everyone, leading the way. Most of the group was in agreement but Sokka stood where he was, looking back towards the planetarium.

          "Sokka, come on, we gotta go!" Celina shouted at her brother.

          "But we still don't know when the next eclipse is gonna happen," he argued.

          "Don't be stupid, we'll find out later," Katara told him.

          "No, we won't. If we leave this place we'll never get the information. Aang, come with me to the planetarium, I need cover," Sokka replied. Seeing that his friend wasn't gonna budge on this Aang ran over to Sokka. "You two take Momo and get out of here."

          "But…" Katara went to protest.

          "You better hurry up then!" Celina called out to her brother as the two groups separated.

          As Sokka and Aang headed back towards the planetarium Wan Shi Tong caught up and continued to chase Celina, Katara, Momo, and Professor Zei through the shelves. At one point, they managed to lose Professor Zei somewhere within the shelves but Wan Shi Tong didn't care about him, he was more focused on Celina, Katara, and Momo. The girls panted as they sprinted through the library to where they entered, knowing that stopping would just get them killed. There were several times that Wan Shi Tong lunged at them, luckily missing the girls and sending books to fall onto his head. This delayed him long enough to allow the girls to reach the rope outside. Katara headed up the rope with Momo around her shoulders but before Celina could follow her Wan Shi Tong caught up with her on the bridge. Celina stood her ground in a defensive position as she faced off against the spirit.

          "Your waterbending won't do you much good here. I've studied Northern Water Style, Southern Water Style, and even Foggy Swamp Style," Wan Shi Tong told her, figuring out that Celina would be a waterbending spirit from her blue colored clothing.

          "Actually, I plan on trying out something new. It's time to find out what Passion can do," Celina smirked.

          Locating the source of her spirit powers, Celina reached in and accessed it. Katara gasped as she watched her sister's eyes glow blue just like they did back at the North Pole. She'd finally unlocked her spirit powers. Concentrating, Celina grabbed hold of the energy she suddenly saw floating around the room. Bending it to her will, Celina pulled a bunch of the energy particles together, creating a glowing beam that she directed at Wan Shi Tong. The owl's eyes widened but was able to dodge the attack, sending the beam into a row of bookshelves that exploded, destroying a plethora of books. Wan Shi Tong went to fight back, sending a large gust of wind at Celina and in turn the rope that Katara was climbing up. She blocked it, however, bending the energy to form a shield to protect herself and her sister. With the wind blocked Celina then used the energy shield and launched it at Wan Shi Tong, bending it so that the energy wrapped itself around the owl, causing him to fall to the ground, immobile.

          "What's going on!?" Sokka shrieked. Both him and Aang had managed to make their way back from the planetarium and were now looking at the bound Wan Shi Tong. Or at least Sokka was, Aang's attention turned to Celina, staring shocked at her glowing blue eyes.

          "Celina… did you…" Aang went to ask.

          "No time," she interrupted, her voice echoing with power. "We need to get out of here now before the building is completely buried."

          Aang nodded and pulled out his glider to fly to the top. When Sokka turned to head to the rope his eyes widened upon seeing his sister's eyes glowing. He began to stutter out random noises in question at first but continued towards the rope. Celina didn't wait for him to head up when she headed over to the rope herself. While still keeping her hold on Wan Shi Tong she bent the energy underneath her and her siblings so that it raised them up towards the exit. Sokka stumbled a bit but stabilized himself using Celina's shoulder. Before she could take them up higher, however, Sokka stopped her, noticing that they were forgetting one person.

          "Professor, let's go!" he shouted down to Professor Zei who had surrounded himself with books.

          "I'm not leaving," Professor Zei refused. "I can't. I've spent too long trying to find this place. There's not another collection of knowledge like this on Earth. I could spend an eternity in here." Sokka looked like he wanted to stay and argue but Celina didn't waste any more time.

          "Sorry, Sokka but we have to go," she apologized to her brother, bending the column of energy up towards the exit.

          As more and more sand started filling the building and her hold on Wan Shi Tong loosened, Celina put the majority of her focus on speeding up their assertion to the exit, catching up to Katara and adding her to the column in the process. Just as Celina's hold on Wan Shi Tong broke the four of them made it out of the building, launching out of the window onto the sand. Feeling her friends land next to her, Toph let go of the building, letting it sink completely into the ground. Hitting the ground Celina groaned as her eyes began to flicker as her spirit powers started to fade. The others didn't notice however as Sokka went to celebrate with Katara.

          "We got it! There's a solar eclipse coming. The Fire Nation's in trouble now!" he cheered.

          Aang didn't join in however as looking around the airbender noticed that someone was missing. He turned to Toph who was sitting on the ground with her head in between her hands. "Where's Appa" Aang asked.

          Toph groaned and shook her head sadly, not able to find her voice to crush her friend's heart. Aang put pieces together though and let out a gasp as tears started forming in his eyes. A melancholy feeling filled the air. While everyone fell silent Celina let out a pained scream as her hands shot straight to her head. As her eyes finally stopped glowing Celina fainted, her spirit abilities having drained all her energy. Katara instantly ran over to her sister, checking Celina's vitals. Sokka and Katara shot each other a look. They may have won a battle but at more costs than they ever imagined.


	10. The Desert

          Katara was relieved when she found that besides her sister being unconscious all her other vitals were fine. She began to panic however once she realized that they were stuck in the desert and that Celina being unconscious was a dangerous thing. Katara began to shake Celina's shoulders hoping to wake her up that way.

          "Celina! Celina! You gotta wake up!" she begged to no avail, her sister still remaining unconscious. "Spirits, what can I do? We can't just wait for her to wake up on her own. Not in this place."

          "Why don't you try using the spirit water that Master Pakku gave you?" Sokka suggested, equally as concerned.

          "The spirit water? But Master Pakku said that I should use it for something important," Katara said uncertainly.

          "I think this is something important. We're gonna die if we don't get Celina up and moving. I'm sure Master Pakku will understand," he told her bluntly.

          Katara paused before nodded in agreement. She pulled the necklace of water out from underneath her robes and opened it. A small amount of water came out, which Katara separated into two smaller orbs. She held the orbs next to Celina's temples and concentrated. The water glowed it healing blue glow before disappearing. Celina let out a groan before slowly sitting up.

          "Ugh, what happened?" Celina questioned, wincing a bit. She had a pounding headache and even the softness of her voice didn't help.

          "You passed out after using your spirit powers. I had to use my spirit water to wake you back up," Katara explained.

          "Why would you waste your spirit water on me? I would've woken up after some rest? You should have saved that for something more important," Celina scolded her sister.

          "This was important. We can't have you passed out while we're stuck in the desert," Sokka said.

          "Stuck in the desert? Why would we be stuck in the desert when we have…" Celina instantly became confused when she looked around and didn't see their giant furry friend. "Where's Appa?"

          Hearing his bison's name being spoken the extreme sadness on Aang's face transformed into rage as he turned to Toph. "How could you let them take Appa? Why didn't you stop them?!" he demanded enraged. Celina winced, letting out a small groan as his shouting only made her headache more painful.

          "I couldn't! The library was sinking! You guys were still inside and…" Toph tried to explain to him.

          "You could have come to get us! I could have saved him!" Aang yelled at her.

          "I can hardly feel any vibrations out here. The sandbenders snuck up on me and there wasn't time for…"

          "You just didn't care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!" Aang accused.

          "Aang, stop it," Katara asked, trying to play peacekeeper between her friends.

          "Or at least stop shouting," Celina groaned, covering her ears to try and block out any excessive sound.

          "You know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives," Katara continued on.

          "Since we're stuck the important thing to focus on is trying to get out of this desert," Celina figured out, although it was a bit more difficult with her raging headache. "Then we can concentrate on find…"

          "That's all any of you guys care about: yourselves! You don't care whether Appa is okay or not!" Aang shouted and stalked off angrily.

          "Where the hell are you going?" Celina questioned, getting pissed off by Aang's attitude.

          She understood why he'd be upset. Appa was the only one Aang had from his old life, he was his spirit guide. But that didn't excuse him treating the rest of them like it was all their fault like Toph didn't try to help but had to make the difficult choice to save them instead.

          "I'm going after Appa," he answered, not bothering to turn and look at her. Instead, he opened his glider and began flying away.

          "Aang, wait!" Katara cried out. But he didn't stop, he kept flying. She paused and watched him go off before walking over to Celina and helping her up to her feet.

          "We'd better start walking. We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We have to get that information to Ba Sing Se," Katara said.

          Celina and Sokka shot each other a look. They could tell how deeply upset Katara was about leaving Aang after all the two had been developing a cute relationship ever since their kiss in the secret tunnels of Oma and Shu. But the severity of their situation beat out her feelings for Aang. They'd just have to work that out later. The two siblings nodded in agreement. Celina grabbed hold of Toph's hand to help her through the desert and the four of them began walking, Momo flying from Katara's shoulder onto Celina's as they began their journey out.

          "You think if we did out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?" Sokka pondered.

          "Not a good idea bro, not after what I did to him," Celina answered for him. "I'm sure my parents are gonna be excited when I tell them I started a feud with a spirit." That would make two now: one with the past Avatars and one with the murder owl. The list of people who had a grudge against her and her family was increasing at a pace that Celina didn't like.

          "Do you really feel like it's my fault that Appa's gone?" Toph asked Celina, the guilt feeling heavier and heavier.

          "No, of course not. You did all you could and by getting us out it lets us live another day to find Appa. Who knows what would have happened if you let go of the library. You might have lost not only Appa but us as well," she assured her.

          "Aang doesn't seem to think so," Toph muttered.

          "Aang's just upset and while it's for a good reason he's totally in the wrong for treating us the way he has. If that boy wants to accomplish his goal of finding Appa and keep his friends then he's gonna need to calm down," Celina said, becoming a bit more annoyed with Aang as she spoke. "He'll see how wrong he was for treating you on his own or I'll make sure he will."

          "Thanks, Celina," Toph smiled.

          Celina smiled back and pulled Toph into a side hug, giving the younger girl a nice squeeze. Toph normally wasn't a fan of hugs, she was more of a nice punch in the arm to show affection type, but with Celina, the one who believed in her from the very beginning, it felt nice. Part of her knew that even though they were trapped in the desert, that as long as Toph had Celina they would make it out just fine.

* * *

          They'd been walking for hours, trudging through sand as best they could. The increasing heat from the beating sun didn't help though. It only made them more exhausted and in Celina's case, it caused her headache only to get worse. With the sun beating down on them Sokka tried to grab Momo to use him as a hat but the lemur refused. The animal had sensed Celina's discomfort and decided to use his oversized ears to help shield her eyes from the sun, something Celina was grateful for. Unfortunately, as that issue got settled another one arose as the first signs of thirst popped up.

          "Celina, can I have some water?" Toph asked, the first one to vocalize what the others had been feeling for a while.

          "Okay, I guess everyone can use a drink. But we've gotta try to conserve it," Celina agreed.

          She nodded to Katara, signaling her to help Celina provide enough water for everyone to which the younger girl quickly picked up on. The two opened their water pouches and bent small orbs of water out. Celina took care of herself, Toph, and Momo while Katara took care of herself and Sokka.

          "We're drinking your guys bending water?" he questioned before accepting the water Katara offered him. His eyes widened tasting it but drank it anyway. "You used this on the swamp guy!"

          "Mine didn't taste swampy," Toph noted.

          "That's because Celina didn't use hers in the swamp. She used the water provided and the vines. I wish I had some of her," he explained.

          "Sorry but you're gonna have to deal with what we have, and that includes swampy tasting water," Celina broke it to him.

          "Not anymore! Look!" Sokka said excited, pointing to a large cactus.

          He instantly ran over to the plant and pulled out his knife, using it to slice a piece of cactus off. Momo went to go follow him, curious about the plant, but remembered the job he was doing for Celina and stayed where he was. After all, he got Celina's bending water and didn't have the need to get the swampy taste out of his mouth like Sokka did. So instead the lemur watched as Sokka ingested the water inside the cactus.

          "Sokka, wait! You shouldn't be eating strange plants!" Katara protested, running over to him. Celina followed close behind her, pulling Toph with her to make sure they stayed together.

          "There's water trapped inside these!" Sokka informed them, excited and then offered up the cactus juice.

          "I don't know…" Katara said hesitantly.

          "My head's killing me enough already, I don't need a mysterious substance screwing with it," Celina declined.

          "Suit yourself. It's very thirst-quenching, though," Sokka shrugged and continued drinking the juice.

          After a couple more swigs of cactus juice, Celina and Katara watched as their brother's body stiffened before relaxing. He instantly looked off, especially seeing that his pupils had dilated so quickly. And with that came extra Sokka weirdness.

          "Drink cactus juice. It'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier! It's the quenchiest!" Sokka spewed in a ridiculous voice. His sisters looked at him worried, Katara going so far as to take the cactus in Sokka's hand and dump it out onto the sand.

          "I think you've had enough," Katara commented.

          "Who lit Toph on fire?" Sokka questioned.

          "Wow, I'm really happy I decided not to drink that stuff," Celina muttered.

          "Come on, we need to keep moving. Hopefully, we'll find Aang," Katara said and began walking. Celina and Toph followed after her with Sokka stumbling along with them.

          "How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?" he questioned, causing both of his sisters to groan, seeing how annoying their drugged-up brother was going to be.

* * *

 

          They continued to walk, Toph sticking close to Celina so that she wouldn't get lost, Celina dealing with her headache and her high off his ass brother, Sokka who was spouting off nonsense, and Katara taking charge and deciding where they were going through the endless dunes of sand. But all of them tried to keep the same pace, not too fast so that they exhausted themselves, but not to slow so they weren't making any process. The four of them stopped just as they climbed over a dune to see a giant mushroom cloud in the distance.

          "What is that?" Katara asked.

          "What? What is what?" Toph asked confused.

          "It's a giant mushroom. Maybe it's friendly!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "That doesn't look friendly to me. That looks like the result of Aang's anguish," Celina observed.

          Thinking about it, Aang was the only person she could think of that would cause a giant mushroom cloud of sand. Sure, the sandbenders could probably also accomplish that but with what happened with Appa, Aang made the most sense. Celina herself saddened thinking about their missing friend. She was the second closest person to the bison, the first one being Aang of course. But her heart ached almost as badly as her head as she thought about his kidnapping. All her life, Celina found herself drawn closer towards animals when it came to opening up. Traveling with Aang, she was quickly drawn towards Appa and the two developed a fast relationship. Celina would go to Appa whenever she needed comforting and she would hum her calming songs and run her fingers through his fur when the bison needed calming himself. How she'd like to run her fingers through his fur now. Instead, she merely reached up and stroked Momo's ears. The lemur, in turn, purred at the affection he was receiving. At least she still had Momo. Celina was brought out of her thoughts as Katara spoke up, still being the one to be in control of the group.

          "Let's just keep moving. I hope Aang will be alright," Katara said and motioned for the others to follow her. Celina and Toph nodded while Sokka stood where he was, waving his arms back and forth.

          "Friendly mushroom! Mushy giant friend!" he sang, his voice taking on the same strange tone as before.

          Celina rolled her eyes and then grabbed Sokka by the arm, making sure that he stayed with the group.

* * *

          The sun was setting over the dunes, creating a golden color to wash over them, when Aang finally rejoined the group, kicking up sand as he landed next to them. Katara was quick to go to him when the young airbender fell to his knees in grief. She wrapped her arms around him which he didn't bother responding to, too numb with the pain he was feeling.

          "I'm sorry, Aang. I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here," she apologized.

          "What's the difference? We won't survive without Appa. We all know it," Aang replied hopelessly.

          "Come on, Aang! We can do this if we work together," Katara encouraged. "Right, Toph?"

          "As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding. I got nothin'," Toph admitted.

          "Sokka? Any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked her brother.

          The others looked over to find Sokka lying down on the sand, looking up at the sky. "Why don't we ask the circle birds?" he suggested blissfully. Everyone looked up to see that there were indeed buzzard wasps circling above them, just waiting for them to drop dead so that they would feast upon their bodies.

          "We can think of ideas after we get out of this desert," Celina pipped in, heading over to Sokka and pulling him up off the ground. "The important thing is to keep moving for the moment. As long as we keep moving we have a chance of getting out of here."

          Katara looked over at her sister, eyes wide, grateful that she didn't have to carry everyone by herself. She had Celina on her side, her big sister that always did her best to help her through anything. Besides Sokka, Celina was the one who thought up their strategies, and while she didn't have an exact one now, she had the determination to keep moving until a plan was thought up. As long as Katara had her sister helping them, they had a good chance of making it out of the desert.

          "Alright. Everybody up and hold hands. We're getting out of this desert together," Katara said determined.

          And that's what they did. Katara helped Aang up and altogether they held hands and moved further through the desert.

* * *

          The sun disappeared, allowing for stars to take over the sky. With the disappearance of the sun came the cooling of the desert, giving the gang a little bit of relief. Unfortunately, that didn't lessen their exhaustion.

          "I think we should stop for the night," Katara suggested, much to everyone's relief as they fell to the ground.

          "Is there any more water?" Toph asked.

          "Katara, it's your turn," Celina said. While they were walking Celina and Katara decided to switch on and off between their water skins when the need for water came about. The younger waterbender nodded and uncorked her water skin.

          "This is the last of mine," Katara informed everyone as she bent the water out.

          Celina grabbed hold of half of what Katara brought out and focused on taking care of herself, Toph, and Momo while Katara took care of herself, Sokka, and Aang. Everyone frowned at the swampy taste but they had stopped complaining about it a while ago. After everyone had their drink, Katara went back to focusing on figuring out a plan.

          "Sokka, let me see the things you got from the library," Katara asked. He immediately reeled back at her request.

          "What! I didn't steal anything! Who told you that!?" Sokka asked offended and then turned to Momo who had slid off Celina's head since he no longer had to shield Celina's eyes. "It was you! You ratted me out!"

          As the lemur began to cry Celina pulled the creature into her lap and began to try and console him. "Sokka, there's no need to yell at Momo," she scolded her brother before going to hum her soft song while stroking his fur.

          "Besides, Sokka, I was there," Katara pointed out and then took Sokka's bag.

          "It doesn't matter. None of those will tell us where Appa is," Aang commented, hopelessness still laced in his voice. Katara shot Aang a worried look before turning back to Sokka's bag and pulled out one of the scrolls that contained a star map.

          "No, but we can find out which way Ba Sing Se is. We can use the stars to guide us. That way we can travel at night when it's cool and rest during the day," Katara figured out.

          Unfortunately, her information fell on mostly deaf ears as most of the group had already fallen asleep, leaving Celina and Katara being the only two up. Katara let out a sigh of frustration before turning back to look at the map and then up at the sky, trying to get a read on where they might be.

          "You need any help?" Celina asked.

          "No, just get some sleep. I know how exhausted you were after unlocking your spirit powers and my waking you up early didn't exactly help," Katara told her.

          "Alright then, but first," Celina said and then pulled out her vial of spirit water. She held it out to Katara, wanting her to take it. "Here, I want you to have this."

          "But this is the spirit water that Master Pakku gave you. I can't take this," Katara protested.

          "I insist. You ended up wasting yours on waking me up, so at least let me pay you back by giving you mine. Besides, with me being a spirit and all I'm sure all my healing water would be spirit water if I concentrated," Celina insisted, going so far as to put the necklace over Katara's head.

          "Well… alright then," Katara gave in. "Thank you, Celina."

          "You're welcome. Now I'm gonna get some sleep while I can. I have some business to take care of when I get to the Spirit World," Celina said, her voice turning into a growl as she mentioned the last part. Katara looked at her sister a bit confused but just nodded. Having got the go-ahead from her sister Celina laid down and allowed herself to get some sleep.

* * *

          When Celina arrived in the Spirit World she set herself on a mission to find Bitten and bite his head off. The spirit didn't make it difficult however as from behind her, Celina heard Bitten calling her name. Turning around she saw Bitten a bit of a distance back in the gardens, waving at her with a delighted smile on her face. Celina's eyes lit up with righteous, spiritual anger with a scowl accompanying it.

          "You," she growled, gathering up energy in her hands.

          Bitten stared at her confused at first but once he recognized that she had unlocked her spirit powers and that they were going to be directed at him, he began to back up. Finally, able to let out her anger Celina shot the built up energy at Bitten, sending him flying back. Followers of Ai and Bishamon that were close by instantly ran, not wanting to stick around in case Celina turned her wrath onto one of them. Ai and Bishamon were powerful spirits who were scary when angry, they expected the same from their daughter. Bitten groaned in pain as Celina stormed over, not even close to being done with him. Once there she picked Bitten up by his caped sash, holding him up to her face.

          "How dare, you!" she snarled.

          Celina blasted some more energy at him, sending him flying back further into the gardens. Bitten rolled as he landed, his caped sash being torn off in the process. He was quick to recover though, knowing full well that if he didn't he would never have the chance to ask Celina where this was coming from. So, he got himself up to his feet and turned to Celina who was striding over, charging up another blast.

          "What are you talking about? What have I done to make you so upset?" he asked. He was once again shot at before receiving an answer, this attack only grazing him.

          "You lied to me! You lied to me and you… you used me," she exclaimed.

          "What? No, I haven't. What would I ever lie to you about?" Bitten questioned confused.

          "Oh, I don't know, maybe something about soulmates?" Celina said and took aim. Bitten grunted and groaned as the blast hit him in the stomach, but he still stood having braced for it. "I learned all about them in Wan Shi Tong's library. And a good thing I did as well, let me know that you decided to use my ignorance as an advantage and try to raise your own status. Date the leader's daughter, what a brilliant plan. Well let me tell you now, it's no longer gonna work."

          This time she just flat out punched him in the face, not bothering with an energy blast. Bitten stumbled back, holding his aching jaw.

          "Celina, I swear to you that I wasn't taking advantage of your status," Bitten told her, hoping she'd believe his explanation. Another punch, this time to his already bruised chest.

          "Yeah right, why else would you date me knowing full well that we aren't soulmates, huh?" Celina interrogated. She kicked him in the shin, sending Bitten to the ground.

          "Because that's what we do," Bitten groaned in pain. "So many spirits don't wait for their soulmate to form relationships. Especially those of us who follow your parents."

          "Yeah right," she rolled her eyes.

          "I swear! Just ask your mother. If you don't want to believe me right now that's fine, but I know you'll trust her," he begged before getting hit once again.

          Celina couldn't help but scoff and readied another energy attack, pissed off that he was trying to drag her mother into his. She was interrupted however as her body began to flicker, signaling that she was waking up. Celina cursed and her eyes blinked back to their normal color. It looked like she was out of time for tonight. She scowled one more time at Bitten before finally waking up in the real world.

* * *

          Katara was kneeling next to her, having softly shaken Celina awake. She was the first person Katara decided to wake up, knowing well that her sister would help her wake the others up who she figured would be the more difficult ones. Celina let out a quiet moan but didn't protest. The fact that Katara let her get some sleep to begin with was good enough, especially since Celina was used to staying up all night thanks to past insomnia problems.

          "How are you feeling?" Katara asked.

          "Better," Celina answered. "My head's no longer pounding which is a very good sign. I also got out some aggression when I was in the Spirit World so that also helped."

          Her sister looked at her, clearly wanting to know more about that last portion but decided against asking her about it. That would be a conversation for later. They had other things to worry about now. So Katara just nodded and headed over to wake a slightly buried Sokka up. Celina helped take charge and went over to wake Toph up as well.

          "Come on, get up. We need to go," Katara told Sokka, still annoyed with his drugged-up antics. He drowsily sat up, drool still coming from his mouth.

          "Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud. Now it just tastes like sand. I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much," Toph commented after Celina got her up.

          With Aang the only one to wake up, Katara walked over to him but the airbender surprised everyone when he spoke before Katara could even try to wake him up. "I'm awake. I couldn't sleep," he informed them.

          "Well, we need to get moving if we want to get out of the sand pit," Katara said, pulling him up to his feet.

          Before they could start walking, however, the group (minus the still drugged Sokka) noticed something up in the sky. Something bison shaped moving across the full moon.

          "Appa!" Aang shouted joyfully, small tears coming to the corners of his eyes.

          "Appa? But why would Princess Yue need him? She's the moon! She flies by herself!" Sokka asked.

          Celina looked over at her brother. That was the first time he talked about Yue without sadness or guilt in his eyes. It was his biggest failure, losing Yue. Sokka would only talk about it to her, and even then, it would take a lot for him to do so. Most times he'd only open up about it when Celina caught him waking up from a bad dream, tears in his eyes. How their roles were reversed, it was Sokka who used to comfort her about her bad dreams and now she was doing it for him. Those thoughts were pushed aside when Katara spoke up.

          "It's just a cloud," she said sadly.

          "Wait, a cloud. That means we can get water," Celina figured out. Katara quickly caught on and turned to Aang, holding out her empty water skin.

          "Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch," she told him.

          Aang glared at Katara before snatching Katara's water skin and took off on his glider. It took him two passes through the cloud to collect all the moisture, causing the cloud to completely disappear. He tossed the water skin down to Katara as be began to land. She picked it up and peeked into the skin.

          "Wow… there's hardly any in here," she observed.

          "I'm sorry, okay! It's a desert cloud, I did all I could! What's anyone else doing! What are you doing?!" Aang shouted angrily, pointing his glider at Katara accusingly. She looked at the ground, disheartened.

          "Don't you dare yell at her," Celina scolded. "Katara has been doing the most out of everyone here. She's been keeping us all together the best she can so that we can get out of this desert and go find Appa. So, if you wanna be angry, fine. But don't take it out on the person who's trying to help you."

          This time, it was Aang who looked away ashamed while Katara looked at her sister with a small smile on her face, happy that she stuck up for her. The smile only increased as Aang mumble a soft sorry to Katara. With that taken care of the group started walking once again. It didn't take long before someone became frustrated again. Though this time it was Toph, who suddenly tripped and fell, rubbing her toe in pain.

          "Are you alright?" Celina asked concerned, bending down to examine how bad Toph hurt herself.

          "Ow! Crud! I am so sick of not feeling where I'm going! And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert!" Toph exclaimed frustrated.

          "A boat?" Katara questioned.

          "Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations," Toph said, pointing at the thing that caused her to trip.

          Aang was the first on to react, using his glider to clear the sand away with his airbending. When he did that it confirmed that a boat was hidden underneath, one that looked like the boats the sandbenders used. Katara instantly jumped aboard to examine things.

          "It's one of the gliders the sandbenders use! And look! It's got some kind of compass on it! I bet it can point us out of here! Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're going to make it!" she exclaimed.

          "Let's get on it then, hopefully, we can make it out of here by dinner time," Celina smiled.

          The gang boarded the glider, Celina, Katara, and Aang took position. Aang stood by the sail, using his bending to make the glider go while Katara took over the navigator position at the compass so that she could use that and the star map. Celina made took over making sure that Toph and Sokka stayed on the glider. Momo took his place on the front of the glider, enjoying feeling the air on his face. With everybody ready, they took off through the desert.

* * *

          The group had been making a good distance, even though they still weren't sure exactly how far they'd made it through the desert. They certainly traveled for a while though as the sun had started creeping up a while ago.

          "The needle on this compass doesn't seem to be pointing north according to my charts," Katara mentioned.

          "Take it easy, little lady. I'm sure the sand folks who built this baby know how to get around here," Sokka said dreamily.

          "You know, while the cactus juice certainly has died down, I'm sitting waiting for the heightened weirdness that is Sokka to die down," Celina commented.

          Katara let out a gasp when she spotted what the compass was leading them to. "That's what the compass it pointing to! That giant rock! It must be the magnetic center of the desert," she discovered.

          "A rock? Yes! Let's go!" Toph said excited.

          "Maybe we can find some water there," Celina pondered.

          "Maybe we can find some sandbenders," Aang muttered darkly.

          With Aang's new motivation the gang managed to reach the giant rock. Toph was the first one to jump off the sand glider however. As soon as her feet hit the ground she let out a delighted sigh and fell back onto the rock, creating a rock angel by using her bending. Celina couldn't help but let out a chuckle seeing her friend back on solid ground.

          "Ahh… Finally! Solid ground!" Toph smiled.

          "That's great. But maybe we should explore a bit more before taking time to relax," Celina suggested.

          Toph groaned, wanting to stay where she was but got up anyway, at least they were staying on the giant rock where she could see. So, the gang explored the rock, coming upon several caves. Curious they entered in one of them. Looking around the team noticed that the walls were covered in a gooey, yellow substance that looked like honey.

          "I think my head is starting to clear out the cactus juice," Sokka breathed deeply and then turned to the yellow substance. "And look!" Still not thinking straight Sokka scooped some of the goop off the wall and stuck it in his mouth. He instantly spit it out and started making gagging noises. "This tastes like rotten penguin meat! Aww, I feel woozy."

          "You've been hallucinating on cactus juice since yesterday and then you just lick something you find stuck to the wall of the cave?!" Celina said to him irritated.

          "I have a natural curiosity," Sokka shrugged.

          "What you have is a head still full of cactus juice," Celina replied.

          "I don't think this is a normal cave. This was carved by something," Toph pointed out.

          "Yeah… look at the shape," Aang agreed.

          "There's something buzzing in here. Something that's coming for us!" Toph felt out.

          The group instantly ran out, not wanting to meet the mystery attacker head on. When they were out in the open the gang turned towards the entrance of the cave. A scream came out of all their mouths as buzzard wasps came out of the saves and lunged at them. Aang was the first one to react, sending a gust of air to blow them back. The next one was Toph, sensing a buzzard wasp that fell next to her. She sent a pillar of rock up from beneath it and sent it flying. From there on though she was shooting blind as the buzzard wasps remained up in the air where she couldn't see them. This caused some problems with almost hitting friends.

          "What are you doing?! That rock almost crushed me!" Sokka protested.

          "Sorry, I can't tell where they are in the air!" she explained.

          "I got this one," Sokka assured her and took out his machete and started wildly swinging it in the air.

          "Sokka's there's nothing there," Celina pointed out.

          "I guess my head's not as clear as I thought," Sokka figured out.

          "We have to get out of here! Celina and I can't waste any more of our water," Katara said.

          As they went to run however a buzzard wasp snatched Momo in its claws and flew away. Aang didn't wait long to go after him. "Momo! I'm not losing anyone else out there," he said and glided after them.

          The others couldn't wait for him however and headed down the giant rock back towards the sand glider. The buzzard wasps followed them though which wasn't helping as they headed down a narrow ledge. Figuring out how to aid their situation Celina took hold of Toph's shoulders and turned her to face the buzzard wasps.

          "Toph, shoot a rock right there. Fire!" she told the younger girl. Listening, Toph shot out a cluster of rocks at a buzzard wasp, making a direct hit.

          "Yeah! You got it! She got it, right?" Sokka celebrated but asked for confirmation from his sisters.

          "Yes. Now let's move," Katara confirmed.

          This continued on for a while, Celina directing where Toph should earthbend while buzzard wasps continued to attack them. It was getting more and more difficult to fend them off but once they reached the bottom of the rock pillars of sand burst upwards, scaring the buzzard wasps back into their hive. The group shielded their eyes at first but when the sand cleared they saw that several sandbenders were surrounding them with three of their gliders behind them. Aang landed between his group and the sandbenders and angry look on his face, ready to kick some sandbender butt.

          "What are you doing in our land with a sandbender sailer? From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe," the lead sandbender accused.

          "We found the sailer abandoned in the desert. We're traveling with the Avatar. Our bison was stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se," Katara tried to explain to them.

          "You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride on a stolen sand sailer?" a young sandbender spoke up.

          "Quiet, Gashin. No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality," the older sandbender shot down.

          "Sorry, father," the younger sandbender, Gashin apologized.

          "I recognize the son's voice. He's the one that stole Appa," Toph whispered to the gang.

          "Are you sure?" Celina asked.

          "I never forgot a voice," Toph assured them.

          Hearing this Aang took several steps towards the sandbenders and pointed his staff at Gashin threateningly. "You stole Appa! Where is he? What did you do to him?" Aang demanded.

          "They're they're lying! They're the thieves!" Gashin lied himself. That only made Aang angrier which he took out on one of their sandbenders sand sailers, obliterating it with his airbending.

          "Where is my bison?!" Aang demanded once again. "You tell me where he is now!" The sandbenders didn't get a word out as Aang destroyed another one of their sand sailers.

          "What did you do?" the older sandbender shouted at his son.

          "I… It's wasn't me!" Gashin sputtered.

          "You said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph exclaimed.

          "You muzzled Appa?!" Aang said completely enraged.

          Aang's eyes and arrow began to glow as he entered the Avatar State. With another twirl of his staff, he demolished another sand sailer, scaring all the surrounding sandbenders.

          "I'm sorry! I didn't know that it belonged to the Avatar!" Gashin back peddled.

          "Oh, that's complete and utter crap. Everyone knows that with the reappearance of the Avatar also came his sky bison. The last airbender and the last sky bison. Of course, Appa belonged to the Avatar," Celina spoke up, getting angry herself.

          Sokka looked over and saw his sister's eyes flash for a second, her spirit powers trying to break through, and placed his hand on her arm, trying to ground her. They didn't need another person going crazy. Celina glanced over at his hand and instantly figured out where he was coming from. She took a few deep breathes to try and calm herself down.

          "Tell me where Appa is!" Aang demanded, the past Avatars echoing in his voice.

          "I traded him! To some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now. They were going to sell him there. Please! We'll escort you out of the desert. We'll help however we can," Gashin explained, practically begging for his life.

          At this statement air began to gather around Aang and start to pick him up, creating a small tornado in the process. Even Celina's glowing eyes reappeared. Sokka grabbed hold of not only his sister but also Toph, pulling them away from the danger. The sandbenders got the message as well and began to flee for their lives. While many people ran scared, the Water Tribe siblings focused on calming down their selected people. While Katara took the more dangerous route to calm Aang down Sokka took care of Celina, pulling his sister into a hug. He muttered calming things in her ear, trying to stop her spirit powers from doing anything. Slowly Celina's eyes flickered back to her normal blue irises. She grabbed hold of Sokka's arms, anchoring herself. Her head began to ache. She might not have used an of her energybending but her spirit powers were accessed multiple times which took more out of her than she thought it would. Gaining her bearings Celina glanced over at Toph to see that she looked scared seeing Aang's Avatar State for the first time. Celina looked over at Aang herself. Katara had grabbed hold of Aang and pulled him down into a hug. She was wincing as the sand hit her face but kept her hold and somehow it worked. The glow of the Avatar State slowly went away leaving a crying Aang slumped in Katara's arms.


	11. The Serpent's Pass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the M rating comes from. Expect that lust tag to come into play with this chapter.

          Celina sat at the bottom of the lake the gang was currently camping at, just thinking. The sandbenders kept their word and escorted them out of the desert, stopping back at the oasis for a moment to retrieve all the supplies Gashin dumped off when he sold Appa. Without Appa, it took them a week to arrive where they were, a feeling of emptiness following them with the absence of their beloved friend. This break they were taking at the lake was to try and help them relax a bit, turn their brain off for a moment though for Celina it didn't happen. Her head was swimming with different thoughts regarding back to what they learned in the library to things that happened recently in the Spirit World.

          At the beginning of the week when she first arrived in the Spirit World Bitten would always be there to try and talk to her, which Celina would react by blasting him away before leaving for her parent's room. After the third night, he finally got the picture and left her alone. It relieved some tension which Celina was thankful for when visiting her parents. There was no way she wanted to drag her problems with Bitten into their already stressed out life. Spending time with her parents was supposed to be a relaxing experience after all. They'd been so pleased when Celina informed them about unlocking her spirit powers. Her parents also quelled her worries about passing out after using them.

_"That's perfectly normal. Your spirit abilities are extremely powerful and for someone who's not used to that, it can be extremely draining. With some practice, recovery time will lessen until it hardly exists," Bishamon explained to her. "For now, be sure to take your time to recover."_

_"I wish you would listen to your own advice," Ai commented._

          It was a nice conversation to have, though it did remind Celina how important it was to end the war and its effects on humans and spirits, her father especially. But currently, as she sat at the bottom of the lake, Celina couldn't help but think over last night's conversation. Bitten's plea during their fight bugged her, and while Celina tried to move past it, she couldn't and finally decided to talk to Ai about it.

_"Hey, mom? Can I talk to you about soulmates?" Celina asked._

_"Found yours already?" Ai asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement._

_"No, nothing like that. I found a book about soulmates in Wan Shi Tong's library and I have a few questions," Celina explained._

_"Alright then, ask away," Ai invited._

_"Do spirits pursue romantic relationships with other spirits even when they know they're not each other's soulmate?" Celina asked._

_"Of course," Ai answered, not having to think over it at all._

_"But why?" Celina questioned. "Why bother with a relationship knowing they're not your soulmate?"_

_"Celina, soulmates aren't that easy to find, even with the advantage us spirits have," Bishamon told her. "And with how long we live it can be rather lonely without someone."_

_"Romantic relationships are formed between non-soulmates to fill that loneliness. Love doesn't just exist between you and the person the universe has matched for you. It can exist and grow with another. Humans do it all the time. Plus, it gives each party experience with relationships. If you just look for your soulmate you'll end up with no idea how to have a relationship with them. I always encourage people to jump in at an opportunity for love, even if they're not the one," Ai explained._

_"After all, the world could use more love in it," Bishamon added, earning a kiss from his wife. Celina was speechless for a moment, trying to take everything in. Bitten didn't lie to her. He didn't try to use her like she thought. She was wrong. She'd have to apologize the next night. But still, she had one more question._

_"Are you two soulmates?" she asked._

_Bishamon and Ai looked at each other sweetly, love filling their eyes. "Yes," Ai answered._

_"It took a while for us to find each other but we did," Bishamon said and gave his wife kiss. Celina couldn't help but smile._

          Her peaceful area under the water was disrupted, dragging Celina out of her thoughts, as Katara waterbended a massive amount of water when she jumped in. Feeling that her calm moment under the water had ended Celina swam back up to the surface where she found an annoyed Sokka.

          "Sure, 5000-year-old maps from the spirit library, just splash some water on 'em," Sokka scolded Katara, holding out a dripping wet map.

          "Sorry," Katara apologized as she wrung water out of her hair.

          Fixing the situation Celina gently bended the water out of Sokka's maps. "Thank you," Sokka said before spreading the map out onto a dry surface to continue examining it. Celina gave a small nod before bending the water off her body.

          "You were down there for a while. I was almost gonna send one of these lazy butts to check on you," Toph told Celina.

          "I was fine. Water is my element after all. I was just thinking about some things," Celina explained before turning to her brother. "So, you figure out the route we're taking?"

          "Okay. We just got out of the desert not that long ago, so we must be around here, and we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here," Sokka said pointing out all the places on the map. "It looks like the only passage connecting the South to the North is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass."

          "You're sure that's the best way to go?" Toph questioned.

          "It's the only way, I mean it's not like we have Appa to fly us there," Sokka commented.

          "Shush up about Appa. Can't you at least try to be sensitive?" Katara hushed him before the gang glanced up nervously at Aang.

          "Katara, it's okay. I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se, and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse," Aang said calmly.

          "Oh, well, okay. I'm glad you're doing better," Katara replied surprised.

          "Besides, after that, we can start our search for him," Celina added.

          "Then to Ba Sing Se we go, no more distractions," Sokka decided, rolling up the map. Just as he said that the gang heard a group of people calling out to them.

* * *

          After getting all dried up and the ones who had been swimming dressed the gang got to know the three people who they managed to come across. They introduced themselves as Than, his pregnant wife Ying, and Than's teenage sister Mahiru. They were refugees and believed that the gang were refugees as well until they explained that they were the Avatar and his friends.

          "So, are you guys headed to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang asked.

          "Sure are, we're trying to get there before Ying has our baby," Than answered, rubbing his wife's stomach affectionately.

          "Great, we can travel through the Serpent's Pass together," Katara smiled. But the group of three didn't smile. Instead looked of absolute horror spread across their faces.

          "The Serpent's Pass?! Only the truly desperate take that deadly route," Ying informed them, fear laced in her voice.

          "Deadly route. Great pick, Sokka," Toph said sarcastically, whacking his arm.

          "Well, we are desperate," Sokka replied.

          "And our map isn't the newest," Celina pointed out, trying to come to her brother's defense.

          "You should come with us to Full Moon Bay. Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se," Than told them.

          "And it's hidden, so the Fire Nation can't find it," Mahiru added.

          "Hmmm, peaceful ferry ride… or deadly pass?" Katara pretended to debate over though everyone knew what they were going to do.

          Packing up their things the gang joined Than, Ying, and Mahiru towards Full Moon Bay. It was a nice smooth path there, the two groups talking about different things along the way. Celina talked to Mahiru about boys, Mahiru telling Celina that she was to meet her fiancé there while Celina told her that her love life was a bit complicated being on the move constantly. It was easier to tell her that then try to dumb down her relationship with Bitten. She then joined in on a conversation with Katara and Ying about Ying's pregnancy, asking how far along she was and what not. It didn't take long though to reach Full Moon Bay and the cavernous inlet where it was located. There were three large wooden ships anchored behind a fortified wall with people gathered on a stone landing. It was so strange looking at the crowd of refugees that filled the place.

          "I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation," Katara observed.

          "We're all looking for a better life. Safe, behind the walls of Ba Sing Se," Than said.

          "We'll luckily we're all one boat ride away. Perhaps we should go get our tickets," Celina suggested.

          "Thanks for accompanying us," Mahiru thanked.

          "Thanks for telling us about this place, saved us from getting there the hard way," Katara replied.

          The two groups nodded their goodbyes and then headed their separate ways, off to get their tickets for the ferry. As the gang walked up to a ticket seller then paused seeing the tick lady angrily yelling at a cabbage merchant.

          "I've told you already, no vegetables on the ferry! One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of Ba Sing Se. Security!" the woman shouted. The security she called for turned out to be a platypus bear dressed up in uniform and destroyed the cabbage cart. The cabbage merchant cried out in despair for his cabbages before two guards picked him up by the arms and carried him away past the gang. "Next!"

          "Um, five tickets for the ferry to Ba Sing Se, please," Aang said hesitantly.

          "Passport," the woman demanded.

          "Uh, no one told us we had to have passports," Aang frowned.

          "Don't you know who this is? He's the Avatar!" Sokka stepped up to tell her.

          "Ah, I see fifty Avatars a day, and by the way, not a very impressive costume," the woman replied unimpressed, gesturing over to the group of boys in avatar costumes. "Besides, no animals allowed. Do I need to call security?"

          "That won't be necessary," Aang said and began to back away.

          "Next!" the woman called out wanting to move on. But Toph took charge and wouldn't let her, pulling out a document bearing the gleaming golden emblem of the Bei Fong family.

          "My name is Toph Bei Fong, and I'll need five tickets," she said.

          "Oh! The Golden Seal of the Flying Boar, it is my pleasure to help anyone of the Bei Fong family," the woman said in awe and bowed.

          "It is your pleasure. As you can see I am blind, and these three imbeciles are my valets, plus my more competent adviser," Toph said arrogantly.

          "Who do you think is the adviser?" Sokka whispered to Celina.

          "I'm pretty sure that's me," she answered.

          "But the animal…" the woman tried to point out.

          "Is my Seeing-Eye Lemur," Toph answered, Momo hoping from Celina's shoulder to Toph's shoulder.

          "Well, normally it's only one ticker per passport, but, this document is so official, I guess it's worth five tickets," the woman worked out with herself and then rapidly stamped five papers.

          "Thank you very much," Toph said, gathering them off the podium and then walking away with the rest of the gang following her.

          "Alright, we scammed that lady good!" Sokka smiled.

          "As Toph's adviser, I advise you not to go saying that too loudly," Celina advised.

          "How do we really know it was you Toph said was her adviser?" Sokka questioned, a bit peeved that if it was true then he was grouped in with the imbecile valets.

          "Who else would it be?" Toph interrupted. Celina smiled smugly at Sokka, sticking her tongue out at him. He was about to say something but was spun around by a girl in an Earth Kingdom uniform like all the other workers.

          "Tickets and passports please," she demanded from Sokka firmly.

          "Is there a problem?" Sokka asked intimidated.

          "Yeah, I've got a problem with you. I've seen your type before, probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious, and let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar," the girl replied.

          "Huh, that sounds spot on. Have we met her?" Katara wondered.

          "Wait for it," Celina said, having figured out who her brother was talking to.

          "Do I know you?" Sokka questioned.

          "You mean you don't remember? Maybe you remember this," the girl said and then placed a kiss on his cheek.

          "Suki!" Sokka exclaimed, pulling her in for a hug.

          "Sokka, it's good to see you!" Suki responded delighted.

          "Guys, it's Suki!" Sokka said to the gang once their hug ended.

          "We've noticed. It's great to see you again Suki," Celina said and gave the other girl a quick hug.

          "Celina! I almost didn't recognize you. You've changed so much. I love the outfit," Suki completed. "Come on, how about we head somewhere a bit quieter so that we can catch up. The others nodded and Suki lead them to a covered tower on the harbor wall, overlooking the landing and the harbor. Once there everyone sat down and relaxed to catch up and in Toph's case be introduced to the Kyoshi Warrior.

          "You look so different without your makeup and the new outfit," Katara commented.

          "That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them. And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?" Suki asked looking at Sokka approvingly.

          "I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and then, nothing major," Sokka answered, flexing his bicep.

          "Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked.

          "Yeah, after you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees, and we've been here ever since," Suki answered. "So why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa."

          The gang looked down sadly. "Appa is missing. We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se," Celina informed her.

          "I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you doing okay?" Suki asked Aang.

          "I'm doing fine. Would everybody stop worrying about me!" Aang replied annoyed.

          "Avatar Aang, you have to help us!" Ying called out from below them. The gang looked over the edge of the tower to see Ying, Than, and Mahiru in distress. "Someone took all of our belonging. Our passports, our tickets. Everything's gone!"

          "I'll talk to the lady for you," Aang assured them and quickly headed towards the ticket table. The rest of the gang and Suki headed down the tower towards the family, trying their best to comfort them. It didn't take long for Aang to return to them, a look a determination in his eyes. "Don't worry, you'll get to the city safely. I'll lead you through the Serpent's Pass."

* * *

          After taking time to gather their things the gang began to lead Than, Ying, and Mahiru through the refugee camp and out towards the Serpent's Pass. Sokka was the only one in the group who was not pleased with the decision but understood why they were doing it.

          "I can't believe we gave up our tickets, and now we're going through the Serpent's Pass," Sokka complained.

          "I can't believe you're still complaining about it," Toph commented.

          "I'm coming too!" Suki called out, running up to the gang in her Kyoshi Warrior dress and makeup.

          Awesome, that means we can have more time to catch up," Celina smiled.

          "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sokka asked a bit cautious.

          "Sokka, I thought you'd want me to come?" Suki said surprised.

          "I do, it's just…" Sokka started.

          "Just what?" Suki asked annoyed.

          "Nothing. I'm glad you're coming," Sokka said, but Suki still walked past him angrily falling in place next to Celina.

          "What is wrong with your brother?" she asked.

          "Don't know, I'm still trying to figure that out," Celina joked, causing Suki to chuckle.

          The two fell into normal conversation as they made their way, talking about what Suki had been up to helping people her and the Kyoshi Warriors had come across and Celina telling her about all the adventures the gang had had since they left Kyoshi island, making sure to leave out the parts about her being a spirit. While Celina trusted Suki she felt the less people who knew about her spirit powers the better for now, perhaps she'd tell her in the future. Celina was only able to get to when they met the people at the Northern Air Temple before they arrived.

          "This is the Serpent's Pass I thought it would be more windy, you know, like a serpent. Hmm, I guess they misnamed it," Sokka said.

          "Look at this writing, how awful," Ying pointed to at the gatepost.

          "What does it say?" Toph asked.

          "It says, 'Abandon hope'," Katara read.

          "How could we abandon hope? It's all we have," Ying said miserable and buried her face into Than's chest.

          "I don't know. The monks used to say that hope is just a distraction. So maybe we do need to abandon it," Aang said, his voice even.

          "What are you talking about?" Celina asked, not believing the words that were coming out of the airbender's mouth.

          "Hope isn't going to get us into Ba Sing Se, and it's not gonna find Appa. We need to focus on what we're going right now, and that's getting across this pass," Aang said and stepped through the gate, starting upon the Serpent's Pass.

          "Okay, if you say so," Katara replied somberly.

          Celina patted her sister on the shoulder before the group followed after Aang. As they walked the pass became narrow slivers of peaks rising jaggedly from the water, causing everyone to walk in a single file line along the perilous narrow path. Everyone was cautious, especially with the far drop to the water.

          "The Fire Nation controls the western lake. Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side, and they don't want anyone to find out what it is," Suki informed them.

          The group looked over and noticed a Fire Nation warship cruising off in the distance. Nervousness settled over everyone as they watched the ship patrol. As long as they didn't draw attention to themselves they would be okay. If only the passageway would let them as the path suddenly gave way underneath Than. Luckily Toph quickly caught him using her earthbending and helped him back up onto the path. While Than was okay the pathway giving out alerted the Fire Nation ship to their presence. Taking action, the ship launched a giant fireball at them from a catapult.

          "They've spotted us! Let's go, let's go!" Sokka shouted, hurrying everyone.

          Taking control of the situation Aang leaped up and launches off the cliff face towards the fireball. Intercepting it he sent it arching back with a sweep of his staff, causing it to crash among the warship's smokestacks. Though the ship caught fire it decided to launch another attack. This one managed to miss the group but hit the cliff side above them. As rock came tumbling down from the impact Sokka pushed Suki out of the way, only to put himself in the path of the rock tumble. Toph turned and bent an awning of stone, diverting the rock away from him. Realizing that he was safe Sokka rushed to Suki and helped her up off the ground.

          "Suki, are you okay? You have to be more careful!" Sokka said worried and then led her past Toph towards the front of the group. "C'mon!"

          "Thanks for save my life, Toph. Hey, no problem, Sokka," Toph muttered to herself.

          "Awesome job, Toph, but we gotta keep moving," Celina said, thanking Toph for saving her brother. The earthbender understood and the two raced after the others as Aang flew behind them on his glider. With the Fire Nation warship burning on the lake it allowed for the group to get away.

* * *

          Night had fallen when the group decided to camp out on a more sturdier part of the Serpent's Pass. Celina and Katara sat by the fire that Mahiru helped them make as they worked on dinner for everyone. While they were doing that the others were preparing their sleeping bags while they waited. As Suki began to spread her bedroll out Sokka ran over to her and moved her bedroll.

          "Suki, you shouldn't sleep there. Who knows how stable this ledge is? It could give way at any moment," he told her, spreading her bedroll out next to his.

          "Sokka, I'm fine. Stop worrying!" she called after him.

          "You're right, you're right. You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Wait!... Oh, never mind. I thought I saw a spider, but you're fine," Sokka smiled at her. Suki looked at him a bit confused before heading over to Celina, Katara, and Mahiru.

          "It's so sweet that your boyfriend worries over you," Mahiru commented.

          "It's a bit more frustrating than sweet at this point," Suki admitted.

          "Feel free to whack some sense into him if he continues," Celina told her.

          "It seems like all the boys are off," Katara mentioned, looking over at Aang who stood on a dark outcropping staring out across the lake. Celina looked between the two before letting out a small sigh.

          "Go comfort your boyfriend," she urged her.

          "But what about dinner?" Katara asked unsure.

          "It's not like I haven't taken care of dinner by myself before. Besides, I'm sure Mahiru and Suki are more than willing to help if I ask," Celina assured her.

          "I've been cooking for Than and Ying since we started traveling together so I'm used to helping," Mahiru said.

          "If it gets dinner done sooner, I'm all for lending a hand," Suki added.

          "Well… alright then," Katara agreed. "But Aang's not my boyfriend."

          "He might as well be with how many time you two have made googly eyes at each other," Celina teased, causing blush to appear on her sister's face. Katara headed over to Aang, wanting to get away from her sister's teasing.

          "So, are they still dancing around each other?" Suki asked, remembering how Aang and Katara acted around each other when she first met the gang.

          "Yeah, though I'm pretty sure they've kissed already. I'm just waiting for them to make it official," Celina answered.

          "They do look like they'd make a cute couple," Mahiru admitted.

          Celina and Suki nodded before the girls went into making dinner, gossiping a bit more as they did so. It was a simple soup which didn't take long to make, allowing the girls to quickly to dish out bowls to everyone. Besides the initial complements on the food, the group ate in silence which continued on after dinner when the majority of people went off to bed. Celina was about to head to bed herself when she noticed Suki sneaking off over to where Sokka was. Deciding to be a bit sneaky Celina hid behind a rock and listened in on their conversation. She knew that Sokka had been feeling overprotective lately and was hoping to find out what was going on with her brother to cause him to act like that.

          "It's a beautiful moon," Suki said softly.

          "Yeah, it really is," Sokka replied.

          "Look, I know you're just trying to help, but I can take care of myself," Suki told him.

          "I know you can," Sokka said.

          "Then why are you acting so overprotective?" Suki asked.

          "It's so hard to lose someone you care about," Sokka answered. "Something happened at the North Pole, and I couldn't protect someone. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again." Celina's eyes widened. Of course, he was worrying about Suki after losing Yue. She was disappointed in herself that she didn't think of that before.

          "I lost someone I cared about. He didn't die, he just went away. I only had a few days to get to know him, but he was smart and brave and funny," Suki told him.

          "Who is this guy? Is he taller than me?" Sokka questioned.

          "No, he's about your height," Suki answered coyly.

          "Is he better looking?" Sokka continued to question.

          "It is you stupid!" Suki laughed.

          There was a pause in their conversation making Celina hope that the cause of it was a kiss. She thought that Sokka and Suki were such a cute couple and would adore it if they actually became one. Her hopes in them kissing was squashed however as Sokka spoke up.

          "I can't," he said.

          "I'm… sorry," Suki apologized.

          "No, you shouldn't be," Sokka said.

          Hearing someone move Celina quickly headed back over to her sleeping bag and pulled out some water and started playing with it, trying to pretend like she hadn't been listening. She saw Sokka first who didn't bother looking at her before heading to his sleeping bag and going to sleep. Next came Suki who nervously approached Celina.

          "Hey, Celina," Suki spoke up.

          "Hey, Suki, what's up?" Celina asked.

          "Can you explain to me what happened at the North Pole? Sokka told me that something happened with him and someone he couldn't protect," Suki asked, sitting down on Celina's sleeping bag.

          A sad smile spread across Celina's face. "When we arrived at the North Pole Sokka quickly developed a friendship with Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe. It was clear that both of them developed more than friendly feelings for each other but because Yue was already engaged they weren't exactly able to develop those feelings any further. Still, they were close. When the Siege of the North happened Sokka was put in charge of protecting Yue and he did his best but she ended up sacrificing herself to help her people. Sokka understood why she did it but he still blames himself," Celina explained.

          "Wow," was all Suki managed to say.

          "I'm assuming this is about him acting all protective over you?" Celina guessed, though she already knew the answer.

          "Yeah," Suki answered.

          "Don't worry. Sokka really cares about you, all you need to do is give him time," Celina assured her friend.

          Suki nodded and thanked the waterbender before heading off to bed. Celina waited until everyone was asleep before going to bed herself. It was about time she talked to the boy she'd been having issues with.

* * *

          Bitten was confused when he spotted Celina standing nervously at the entrance to his quiet spot in the garden. Upon first seeing her he almost flinched, remembering all the blasts she sent his way in the past week but seeing how timid she was being right now stopped him. There was a small moment of silence between the two of them before he decided to speak up.

          "Hi," he said.

          "Hi," Celina repeated. Another pause. Bitten went to speak again but Celina beat him to it. "I… I just wanted to… apologize. I asked my mother about soulmates regarding spirits and… you were right. I'm sorry. I should've heard you out instead of beating you up."

          "Thank you for your apology but I understand why you reacted. You're still new to spirit culture and I should have explained soulmates to you earlier when we started becoming a bit more serious. Plus, being the daughter of Love and War I wouldn't have expected you to act any differently," Bitten replied.

          "That still doesn't excuse my actions," Celina pointed out.

          "But you apologized, which makes up for a lot," Bitten said.

          "Do… do you think we can start over. I understand if you don't want to go back to what we were before I found out about soulmates, but I really don't want to lose you as a friend," Celina asked.

          Bitten smiled and got up from his place on the bench and walked over to Celina. He reached up and cupped her cheek, gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek. He looked down at her with affection in his eyes.

          "I would love to start back up where we left off," Bitten said and then leaned down and kissed her. Celina responded almost instantly, kissing him back. When they parted she couldn't help but smile.

          "I've missed this," she told him.

          "Well, we better get back to kissing. We have a lot of time to make up for," Bitten said and leaned down once again.

          Celina happily welcomed his lips onto hers. The simple kiss from before became more and more passionate. They pulled each other closer, wanting to get more of each other, the both of them starved for affection after their week apart. A warmth started spreading from Celina's core where her spirit powers were. The warmth stirred a hunger in her that she'd experienced before through her steamiest of dreams. Celina didn't know if she was just feeling extra brave or if her newfound spirit abilities had heightened her desire but Celina decided to move things further. Dragging her lips away from Bitten's she moved to kiss his jawline, affectionately nipping at his tanned skin. She couldn't help but smirk when Bitten let out a moan when she reached his neck.

          "Wow, maybe I should make you mad at me more often," Bitten joked, enjoying where Celina was taking things.

          "If you want things to continue going further I wouldn't suggest it," Celina told him, kissing back up to his lips, this time adding her tongue to shut him up. Bitten's eyes widened, having taken in Celina's words and her tongue. He couldn't help but back away in shock, causing Celina to look at him a bit confused and worried. "Is there something wrong? We can stop if you're feeling uncomfortable."

          "No, no, it's not that. I'm really enjoying it it's just that… I'm surprised. You used to be this blushing mess and now you're… you're actually wanting to go all the way from what it sounds like," Bitten explained. "For someone with… no experience it's a bit surprising that you're the one initiating everything."

          "Well," Celina started, wrapping her arms around Bitten's neck, twirling his hair. "If it's alright with you, perhaps we can move onto the more… mature lessons in romance."

          Feeling the sexual energy radiating off the beautiful woman hanging off him Bitten couldn't help but grin a sensual grin. He gripped Celina's by her hips and pulled her closer to him with a bit more force than usual which only turned her on more.

          "As you wish, my Lady," Bitten purred and then attacked her mouth with a deep kiss.

          Celina gladly responded, her lips moving hungrily against his. Her tongue returned, poking eagerly out, licking Bitten's lips as it awaited his own to join hers. He happily obliged for a little bit before moving away from her lips altogether. Celina let out a small whine with transformed into a moan as Bitten focused on her jawline and neck like she did with him before. Her hand moved from behind his neck to grasping onto Bitten's bicep as she tilted her head back so that he'd have better access. While Bitten used his mouth to explore Celina's neck his hands roamed up and down her sides. As he began to nip at her exposed skin Celina let out more moans as her other hand tangled itself into Bitten's hair. Wanting to move things forward Celina pulled on Bitten's hair, tugging his head up and gave him a quick kiss before speaking.

          "Bed," she said breathing heavily.

          Bitten nodded and let Celina lead him into the temple. Celina's parent had provided her with a room at the temple that she could use at any time. Seeing as she never slept in the Spirit World Celina hadn't really found a use of it until now. Her room would provide the privacy they required and a soft place for her to experience her first time. The two hurried through the halls, keeping quiet as to not draw attention to themselves as they slipped into Celina's room, swiftly shutting the door behind them. Now with the privacy they needed, Celina and Bitten instantly reattached themselves to each other. Celina let out a moan as Bitten's hands woven themselves into her thick locks of hair. Her hips bucked against him on instinct, causing the spirit to let out a moan himself.

          Both unspoken decided that the use of clothing was no longer needed. Celina was quick to discard Bitten's sashed cape, tossing it off somewhere, as she kicked off her boots. Bitten slid his hands down her torso and then up under her shirt. He swiftly stripped her of it before moving Celina over to the bed. She fell back on her bed, propping herself up on her elbows to watch as Bitten took hold of the waistband of her pants and slowly pulled them off her. Celina bit her lip in anticipation as the fabric passed her ankles, leaving her only in her under bindings. Not wanting to be the only one with no pants on anymore Celina sat up and discarded Bitten's shorts, only to discover that he wore no undergarments like she did, revealing his fully erect member. Bitten couldn't help but smile when she spotted the familiar embarrassed blush appear on Celina's cheeks. He went to kiss Celina, a chuckle on his lips as he pushed her back down onto her bed. The embarrassment she felt before was forgotten as Bitten ran his hands over her body, massaging her clothed breasts. Although he was getting plenty of moans from Celina Bitten was not satisfied just yet as he stumbled over removing her bindings.

          "We're gonna have to find you some new, easier to remove undergarments," Bitten joked.

          "Right now I don't want any," Celina whined.

          Bitten happily obliged her unspoken requested and began to use his hands and teeth to rip Celina's bindings off her. The moisture already developing between her legs tripled, extremely turned on by Bitten ripping her undergarments off her. Her breast bindings came off first, revealing her erect nipples. Seeing Celina's bare breasts Bitten stopped to admire them with both his hands and mouth. His kisses, love nips, and massaging hands earned an ever-moaning Celina. Bitten happily worshiped Celina's body, mapping it would with his mouth and hands. His exploring was interrupted however as Celina buckled her clothed hips against Bitten's bare ones, eliciting a moan from both of them. Moving things along Bitten trailed his kissed down Celina's stomach to her remaining bindings. Using his teeth and hands like before Bitten ripped through her bindings leaving her completely bare to him now. Bitten peppered a couple kisses along Celina's inner thighs, causing her to shiver before moving back up so that he was face to face with Celina. Climbing up onto the bed with her Bitten positioned himself between Celina's entrance, readying his member.

          "Are you ready?" he asked, wanting to make sure that she really wanted this.

          "Yes," Celina answered breathlessly.

          "You might feel discomfort. Try to relax though," Bitten advised her.

          "Hey, I trust you," Celina told him.

          The two smiled sweetly at each other. With Celina giving him full consent Bitten slowly began to enter her. The slickness gathered between her legs allowed him for a smooth entry. Being polite Bitten paused, allowing for Celina to adjust to his size. While Celina had to admit that there was a bit of initial discomfort she quickly adjusted. Buckling her hips to alert Bitten that she was good, the two continued on. Bitten began leaving kisses and love bites on Celina's neck as he pumped into her slowly. Breathless moans and sighs escaped Celina's lips as the two found a rhythm, Celina's hips meeting each of Bitten's thrusts. Celina's hands found their way into Bitten's hair as their tempo increased, tugging out the ribbon that held his hair tied back. As Bitten's thrusts got faster and deeper Celina couldn't help but wrap her legs around his hips, wanting more and more of the friction that they were creating. Moans and heavy breathing flowed from both of their mouths as both parties felt themselves reaching their peak. A dozen more thrusts was what it took for Celina to be pushed over the edge as her inner walls tightened around Bitten's member, sending the other spirit to his own climax. As both of them rode out the ecstasy of their climax the blue light of Celina's spirit powers appeared in Celina's eyes along with the shinning coming from her back. The two bodies shook before collapsing as the high ended, leaving them to experience the after waves of pleasure. Bitten toppled next to Celina, being mindful not to collapse right on top of her, before pulling Celina to his side. She happily cuddled closer to him, the couple chuckling breathlessly.

          "For someone who hasn't had any experience you were amazing," Bitten complemented.

          "Thank you, though I'm sure there's more for me to learn. Perhaps you can teach me more next time," Celina replied suggestively, causing Bitten to chuckle. The two looked at each other as lovers would.

          "It's nice to see those eyes glowing not in anger," Bitten said.

          "My eyes are glowing?" Celina asked surprised.

          "And it appears that's not the only thing glowing," Bitten replied, noticing the glowing coming from Celina's back. "Roll over." Celina did as he instructed, allowing Bitten to get a better look at her back. He couldn't help smiling as he discovered the source of the other glow. "Amazing, you just keep surprising me."

          "What's going on?" Celina giggled.

          "If I didn't know you were a waterbender and a spirit before I definitely know now," Bitten told her.

          Going down her back between her shoulder blades were the symbols of water and spirit, each aglow with Celina's blue spirit glow. Bitten traced the water symbol before moving down to the spirit symbol, alerting Celina to their presence. She reached a hand behind her back and rubbed her shoulder blades, wishing that she could see the symbols herself.

          "I'm curious if the symbols will remain after the glow has disappeared," Bitten said.

          "I'm sure you'll get a chance to check tomorrow night," Celina said, turning back over to give Bitten a kiss. It was after that kiss that Celina's body started to flicker. "Oh, and I was hoping we'd get to cuddle more."

          "I'm sure we'll get the chance to tomorrow," Bitten assured her, causing Celina to laugh.

          "At this point, I just hope I wake up with my clothes on," Celina admitted. Bitten chuckled before placing one last kiss on Celina's lips before she disappeared, waking up in the human world.

* * *

          Celina was happy to find that she was wearing her clothes when she woke up. She would have to go without her undergarments for the day thanks to Bitten tearing them up but she could handle that as long as none of the group knew what went on last night in the Spirit World. The only one who noticed that something was up with her was Suki, and that's because Celina couldn't stop smiling.

          "You seem to be in a good mood today," Suki commented. "Good dream?"

          "Great dream," Celina told her, not noticing the blush spreading across her face, alerting Suki. The Earth Kingdom girl pulled the waterbender off to the side to discuss the more private grown-up things that Suki guessed was going on with Celina.

          "A wet dream, was it?" Suki teased, causing Celina to blush a bit more. She hurriedly shushed Suki who started giggling, not wanting the others to know.

          "Yes," Celina admitted. Mulling it over in her mind, Celina decided to share one secret with Suki, even if it wasn't going to be 100% truthful. "Okay, it wasn't just a wet dream. But you have to promise me that you won't tell the others in order for me to tell you."

          "Warrior's honor," Suki swore, dying to know.

          "It was… a wet dream about the time I lost my virginity," she told her. Suki put a hand over her mouth to muffle her squeal.

          "Spirits, I didn't know you had it in you, you little leopard minx. When did that happen? With who?" Suki questioned.

          "It was with this guy I met back when we picked up Toph. He's really sweet and hopefully, we might meet again in Ba Sing Se. He's a trader so he might be there already," Celina answered, only partially telling the truth. After all, it was true that she met Bitten when they met Toph.

          "So, how was it?" Suki asked.

          "Incredible," Celina sighed dreamily. "Spirits, I wish I can go back to that moment."

          "Just gotta hope for the same dream tonight," Suki said, nudging Celina's shoulder. The older girl just smiled, knowing full well what the night would bring her.

          With everyone else packed up and ready to go the girls fell back into the group as they headed out to conquer the remainder of the Serpent's Pass. Up and down the passageway they went until everyone was forced to stop as the pathway ended at the lake, a good distance of water between the remaining path. Everyone who wasn't a waterbender was stunned, not knowing how they'd be able to get across. Luckily for them, they had two master waterbenders with them.

          "Everyone in a single file line," Celina commanded, taking the front while Katara took the back.

          As they moved Celina bended the water aside as they moved forward, descending below the water level. When everyone was completely under a capsule of air formed as Celina and Katara bended them through the water. Than and his family stared at the watery walls in amazement, watching all the aquatic life that passed them. Being the curious creature that he was Momo leaped into the water to try and catch fish. He leaped back into the air bubble however as a massive black form passed by him. The group looked up a bit worried as the massive form passed above the bubble.

          "What is that thing?" Katara questioned.

          As people began to huddle in fear that massive form crashed through the bubble, breaking Celina and Katara's concentration, allowing water to fill the bubble that they created. Toph acted quickly, earthbending a column of rock that rushed the group to the surface, saving them from drowning. A long, spiny dorsal fin circled them before the creature completely popped out of the water, revealing it to be a gigantic jade sea serpent.

          "I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass," Sokka commented and then turned to Suki. "Suki, you know about giant sea monsters. Make it go away!"

          "Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" she replied angrily.

          "Oh, great and powerful sea serpent, please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank you," Sokka spoke to the serpent, holding Momo out to it.

          "Sokka," Celina scolded him, grabbing Momo away from him.

          As the serpent lunged at them Aang swept an arc of wind at its head, punching it backward. "I'll distract him. Celina and Katara, get everyone across," Aang said before opening his glider and flew off, the recovered serpent chasing after him.

          The girls bent a quick ice bridge from their column to the other side of the pathway before jumping in the water and using their waterbending to surf towards the serpent in order to help Aang. While Aang tried to keep the beast's attention Katara tried to freeze its midsection so that it couldn't move anymore. Celina had a different plan though. She thought that if she could get close enough to the serpent's head without being snapped at she could use her spirit abilities to get it to stop, knowing that it helped her with unruly animals in the past. Unfortunately, Katara made that a bit harder as when the serpent got out of the icy hold it set its sights on the younger waterbender. Aang and Katara were quick to treat this, bending a whirlpool around the serpent, trapping it. This allowed for Celina to dive into the center and then bend a tornado of water to lift her towards its head. As the water gave her the push-up Celina's eyes began to glow their blue glow. As soon as she placed a hand on the serpent's scales the creature calmed.

          "It's okay, we're not a threat. Calm down and return to below the water," she whispered to it. Her power worked wonders as the serpent calmly dived beneath the water, not returning. Aang and Katara stopped their waterbending and the three of them returned to land where the rest of the group was, Celina making sure to end the glow to her eyes.

          "That was amazing," Mahiru cheered. "How on earth did you manage to calm it down?"

          "I've always had this ability with animals and just hoped it would help us out," Celina answered, trying to ignore the headache that came after her glow.

* * *

          The shore of the lake was far away now, as the finally came to the end of the dangerous Serpent's Pass. While everyone was weary from their traveling, seeing the end of the pass and the outer wall of Ba Sing Se brightened everyone's spirits.

          "There's the wall! Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se," Sokka said. And as if the universe had been challenged to prove him wrong Ying went into labor.

          "Oh no!" the pregnant woman gasped, doubling over in pain.

          "What's wrong?" Sokka asked apprehensively.

          "The baby's coming!" she answered as her family helped her to the ground.

          "What! Now! Can't you hold it in or something?" Sokka panicked.

          "Sokka, calm down. Celina and I have helped Gran Gran deliver lots of babies back home," Katara assure him.

          "This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal! This is a real… human… thing!" Sokka replied, completely panicked.

          "It's called a baby, and we've helped deliver plenty of those too. After all, I was present at both yours and Katara's birth," Celina told him before addressing the others with much authority. "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent. A big one." The three did as they were told, Aang and Sokka going off while Toph created the tent around Ying. "Suki, come with us."

          The labor was one of the shorter ones that the Water Tribe sisters had to deal with, though the painful cries from Ying were the same as all the other mothers they helped. Celina took charge, sitting between Ying's legs to deliver the baby while Katara sat at her side coaching the woman on breathing. The girls used Suki as their supply girl, handing Katara and Celina what they needed.

          "You're doing great, Ying," Celina complemented and peaked underneath the blanket that was placed on Ying to give her a bit more privacy. Seeing that she was completely dilated Celina knew that it was time. "Get ready to push. One, two three… PUSH!"

          Ying listened and pushed, stopping to breath. Celina smiled when the head crowned and encouraged Ying even more. A few more pushes and the baby was fully out. Using one of the rags that Sokka gathered Celina cleaned off the babe will it let out a good healthy cry. She focused on cutting the cord from the afterbirth that Ying birthed as well and used her waterbending to heal it up on the baby before checking out the sex.

          "It's a girl!" she announced.

          The parents let out a cry of joy as Celina handed their blanket wrapped daughter for them to hold. Celina smiled at her job well done and began to clean up as Katara went and grabbed the others waiting outside so that they could meet the baby.

          "She sounds healthy," Toph commented.

          "She's beautiful," Katara cooed.

          "It's so… squishy looking," Sokka said.

          "You did wonderful, Ying," Celina commented, having finished up cleaning and joined the others in standing around the new family.

          "What should we name her?" Than asked his wife.

          "I want our daughter's name to be unique. I want it to mean something," Ying said, trying to think of something.

          "I've been going through a really hard time lately. But you've made me… hopeful again," Aang told him, wiping away some tears.

          "I know what I want to name our baby now. Hope," Ying decided.

          "That's a perfect name. Hope," Than smiled.

* * *

          After getting everything cleaned up and Ying back up onto her feet everyone stood around saying their goodbyes to each other. Celina just got done hugging Mahiru goodbye when she turned to see that Katara and Aang were embracing, the airbender placing a soft kiss on her temple. As they pulled away from each other the rest of the gang plus Suki walked up to them, knowing what Aang's plans were now that they were so close to the city.

          "I promise I'll find Appa as I can. I just really need to do this," Aang said.

          "See ya in the big city," Sokka said.

          "Say hi to that big fuzzball for me," Toph asked him to do.

          "You'll find him, Aang," Katara told him.

          "And if you can't do it by yourself we'll all help until you do," Celina promised.

          "Thank you," Aang said and then opened his glider. They watched as him and Momo took off towards the wall.

          With everybody starting to head out the gang grabbed their bags and began to pack up to head out themselves. However, Celina looked over to see that Suki stopped Sokka to tell him goodbye. The Kyoshi Warrior informed Celina in the beginning that she was only coming to protect the family and Sokka so that she'd be returning to Full Moon Bay when their journey was completed. Seeing her brother's heartbroken face when she told him the news made Celina listen in a bit to their conversation.

          "Listen, I'm really sorry about last night. We were talking and saying things, I just got carried away and before I knew it I…" Suki tried to explain but Sokka cut her off with a kiss.

          "You talk too much," he said, gazing into her eyes before the two returned to kissing. When they finally parted Sokka gave her one more peck before Suki moved over to Celina to say goodbye. The Earth Kingdom girl couldn't help but blush seeing the suggestive smile on her friend's face.

          "That was some goodbye there," Celina teased. "Please tell me that's not how you're gonna say goodbye to me."

          "Shut up," Suki chuckled before pulling Celina in for a hug. "Good luck on your journey."

          "Thanks, Suki. I'm certainly gonna miss having you around. And good luck yourself. I know you and the other Kyoshi Warriors will really help the world," Celina wished her goodbye. "Also, you and Sokka are really cute together."

          "This is revenge for this morning, isn't it?" Suki asked.

          "Yes, but also because it's true," Celina admitted, pulling away from their hug.

          The two of them laughed and gave each other a quick hug before Suki headed towards where the ferries arrived to hitch a ride back to Full Moon Bay. The remaining gang finished packing up their bags and then headed towards Ba Sing Se, hopeful about finding Appa and delivering information to the Earth King.


	12. The Drill

          The Water Tribe siblings and Toph didn't make it far from the exit of the Serpent's Pass before Aang came flying back. They all looked at him confused.

          "Aang, what are you doing here? I thought you were looking for Appa?" Katara questioned.

          "I was, but something stopped me. Something big," he told them, not giving the group that many details. "Come one, it will be easier to understand when we get to the wall."

          The others exchanged another confused glance but nodded, the worried look on Aang's face telling them that something big was up. Kicking it into gear the gang ran over to the wall where Toph and Aang earthbended a platform, lifting them up the wall. When they first reached the top though no one saw anything.

          "Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Sokka asked.

          "That," Aang said, pointing out the giant drill approaching the wall as eight tanks flanked it on either side.

          "That's a pretty good reason," Celina muttered, taking in the seriousness of the situation they walked into. Why couldn't they just catch a break? As the group looked down over the edge of the wall, trying to figure out what to do a guard appeared.

          "What are you people doing here? Civilians aren't allowed on the wall," he questioned them.

          "I'm the Avatar. Take me to whoever's in charge," Aang informed him.

          The guard was surprised and took a minute to register who Aang was but nodded and then ushered the gang to the general's area. It still had opened walls that allowed people to look out over the land outside the outer wall. The only differences were that it had a roof and a desk where the general, whose name they learned was Sung, was sitting.

          "It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall young Avatar, but your help is not needed," General Sung assured him.

          "Not needed?" Aang questioned.

          "Not needed," General Sung repeated smugly. "I have the situation under control. I assure you the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall. Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded."

          He led the gang out towards an open area where he showed off Earth Kingdom soldiers standing near stacks of boulders. Where they were positioned to fire was the barren land where the drill was advancing from while on the other side were fields of wheat. None of which assured that group that the soldiers would be able to handle the Fire Nation technology that was coming their way.

          "What about the Dragon of the West? He got in," Celina challenged, not liking how cocky the general was.

          "Well… uh… technically yes," General Sung agreed, startled. "But he was quickly expunged. Nevertheless, that is why the city is named Ba Sing Se. It's the impenetrable city. They don't call it Na Sing Se. That means penetrable city."

          "Yeah, thanks for the tour, but we still got the drill problem," Toph said, ignoring his attempt at a joke.

          "Not for long. To stop it, I've seen an elite platoon of earthbenders called the Terra Team," General Sung explained.

          "That's a good group name, very catchy," Sokka said.

          After that everyone watched as the Terra Team attacked one of the tanks, propelling it into the air before coming crashing back down, destroying it. They then rode a surge of earth through the gap left in the tanks formation, destroying the other ones as they left. With the tanks gone the Terra Team moved onto the drill. The earthbenders tried to wedge several pillars of stone against the side of the drill but they were shattered almost instantly. With the drill under attack, Mai and Ty Lee came out to defend it. The Terra Team where just able to block Mai's knives and went to attack them with boulders but Ty Lee got to them first. Furious pressure point attacks from her and the Terra Team dropped.

          "We're doomed!" General Sung panicked.

          "Get a hold of yourself man!" Sokka exclaimed, slapping the general.

          "You're right, I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing his cheek.

          "Maybe you'd like the Avatar's help now?" Toph suggested.

          "Yes, please," General Sung begged meekly.

          The gang rolled their eyes and then looked over the wall at the approaching drill, trying to think of how they'd defeat it.

          "The question is, how are we gonna stop that thing?" Aang pondered before looking over at Sokka, the others following soon.

          "Why are you all looking at me?" he asked.

          "You're the idea guy," Aang said.

          "So I'm the only one who can ever come up with a plan? That's a lot of pressure," Sokka complained.

          "And also the complaining guy," Katara commented.

          "That part I don't mind," Sokka replied.

          "You really should," Celina said and then went back to pondering. "It looks like we're gonna have to get inside the drill in order to stop it but the question is what do we do once we get inside."

          Their planning was interrupted as the members of the Terra Team were earthbended from the ground to up onto the wall where the general and the gang were.

          "We must get them to the infirmary," General Sung said.

          The gang followed along for two reasons. One was for Celina and Katara to heal them. And two because they hoped to get more information on the drill from the ones who were close to it. So, Celina and Katara went to work, gathering water from their water skins and placing it over their skin to examine them.

          "What's wrong with them? They don't look injured," General Sung asked.

          "Their chi is blocked," Katara explained.

          "Two girls ambushed us, one of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs, and suddenly I couldn't earthbend, and I could barely move… and then she cartwheeled away," one of the shoulders explained.

          "That would be Ty Lee. She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points," Celina told them.

          "It's like she takes you down from the inside," Katara added.

          This sparked an idea in Sokka. "That's how we're gonna take down the drill. The same way Ty Lee took down all these big earthbenders."

          "By hitting its pressure points!" Toph figured out.

          "See, this is why you're the idea guy," Celina smiled.

          "You come up with just as many ideas," Sokka protested, still not liking being the idea guy.

          "Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that's because I inherited something from my dad. It feels more like gut instinct sometimes," Celina shrugged.

          "How could you inherit something like battle strategy?" Sokka questioned. Celina gave him a pointed look, reminding him who her parents were without spilling the information to the earthbenders. His eyes widened as he realized what she was telling him. "Oh… right."

          "But you don't have that advantage. You're just naturally the idea guy and that's really impressive in my book. Be proud of that strategic brain of yours," Celina continued. Sokka was silent for a bit, taking in his sister's words while she went back to work trying to unblock the Terra Team soldier's chi. When they finally hit he smiled softly.

          "Thanks, Celina," he said.

          Celina looked up at Sokka from the corner of her eye and slightly nodded. "You can really thank me after your plan works and the drill is destroyed. Maybe with some food," she said.

          "You want sweets, don't you?" Sokka asked.

          "Earth Kingdom baked goods are just so tasty!" Celina exclaimed, causing Sokka to chuckle.

* * *

          The gang made their way down to one of the empty Terra Team trenches thanks to some sneaky earthbending from Aang and Toph. They barely peaked out from their cover, only exposing their eyes so that they could observe the tank as they planned.

          "Once I whip up some cover, you're not gonna be able to see. So stay close to me," Toph told them.

          The others nodded. With the group understanding what was about to happen Toph jumped into action. She leaped from the trench and used her earthbending to send a mighty blast of dust and broken stone rocketing along the ground near the drill. Jumping out of the trench the others ran close to Toph as they disappeared into the cloud of dust, heading towards the front of the drill. Once near it, Toph created a hole in the ground that everyone jumped down into before she closed it up, leaving them in utter darkness.

          "It's so dark down here, I can't see a thing!" Sokka complained.

          "Oh no, what a nightmare," Toph feigned horror.

          "Sorry," Sokka apologized.

          Toph took them to the underneath of the drill before the gang popped back up out of the earth. From underneath they were completely hidden, allowing them to look around for an opening. They were lucky to discover that a panel on the underbelly of the drill had come off at some point, allowing for an opening. Aang used his airbending to jump up into it and then hung upside down so that he could help the others up into the drill. He helped Katara in first, then Celina, and then Sokka. They waited for Toph to come over so that she could be pulled in herself but the earthbender remained where she was.

          "Aren't you coming?" Celina asked her.

          "No way am I going in that metal monster. I can't bend in there. I'll try to slow it down out here," Toph replied.

          "Alright then. Well good luck and be careful," Celina said and then headed off deeper in the drill with her siblings and Aang.

          Sokka took the leadership role, leading them through the red-lit corridors of the drill, the passageways covered in pipes and valves. He paused to study them.

          "I need a plan of this machine. Some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find it's weak points," he said.

          "Where are we gonna get something like that?" Aang questioned. Sokka didn't answer him, instead, he took out his machete and hacked off a steam valve, causing the room to fill with steam. "What are you going! Someone's gonna hear us!"

          "That's the point. I figure a machine this big needs engineers to run it, and when something breaks…" Sokka went to explain.

          "They'll come to fix it," Celina finished a smirk on her face.

          So, they hid in the piling steam, waiting for an engineer to come. It didn't take long, and when the Fire Nation engineer appeared holding a wrench and scroll Celina took the opportunity and used the steam to trap the man in a cocoon of ice. Sokka smiled as he was able to get the scroll out of his hand and then the group ran off to look over it, letting steam fill up the corridor once again.

          "It looks like the drill is made up of two main structures. There's the inner mechanism, where we are now, and the outer shell. The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse," Sokka explained as they looked over the schematics.

          "Looks like we have a plan," Celina smiled.

* * *

          When the group arrived at the place where the outer shell and inner shell were connected the benders couldn't help but frown seeing the massive steel beam that they were going to have to cut through.

          "Wow, it looks a lot thicker in person than it does in the plans. We're going to work pretty hard to cut through that," Sokka said.

          "What's this we stuff? Celina, Aang, and I are going to have to do all the work," Katara complained.

          "Look, I'm the plan guy, you three are the cut stuff up with waterbending guys. Together we're Team Avatar!" Sokka replied.

          The benders looked at each other unimpressed with the team name that Sokka came up with. "Okay, while we work on the beam, you work on your team name ideas," Celina told him.

          Celina and Katara took water out of their flasks and began using it to cut the meta, cutting it. While Celina took care of one side by herself, Katara and Aang took care of the other, sending the water back and forth to each other. Sweat formed on their brows as they cut through the beam. Sokka watched in anticipation, encouraging his sisters' and Aang's bending. The three were covered in a layer of sweat when they finally managed to cut through the beam.

          "At this rate, we won't do enough damage before the drill reached the wall," Katara said exhausted.

          "I don't know how many more of those I have in me," Aang admitted, sitting down to rest.

          "Even with the three of us going at once," Celina said breathing heavily. She was exhausted. Even though Celina had a bit more power to her bending than her sister, Katara had Aang's help with the cutting of the beam, Celina tackled her side by herself. Bending water back and forth with enough power to cut metal was draining.

          "Maybe if you used your spirit abilities we'd be able to move through them faster," Sokka suggested.

          "Do you even remember what happened back at the library?" Celina asked annoyance in her voice, causing Sokka to tense a bit. He wished her bit of anger was just because she was tired. "I only lasted five minutes using my spirit abilities before completely blacking out. You want to be carrying my unconscious body out of a collapsing mechanism filled with Fire Nation soldiers?"

          Their conversation was interrupted as a shudder and moan passed through the length of the drill. "Looks like we won't have to. Do you hear that? We took it down. We better get out of here fast!" Sokka smiled. Relieved, the four of them began to race out but paused when a voice came over the loudspeakers.

          "Congratulations crew, the drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se!" the man over the loudspeaker celebrated. The four frowned. Sokka was the first one to move, running straight at the beam and pushed it, trying to get it to move to no avail.

          "C'mon brace, budge!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "This is bad, really bad," Katara commented.

          "With the amount of time we have left there's no way we can cut through the rest of the beams," Celina said.

          "Maybe we don't have to cut all the way through," Aang spoke up, becoming inspired by what she said. "Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give 100% of your energy into any one strike. Sokka, take a fighting stance." The older boy did as he said as Aang began to demonstrate as he explained. "You've gotta be quick and accurate. Hit a series of points, and break your opponent's stance. And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall. Literally." As Aang finished his explanation Sokka collapses to the ground from Aang's blows.

          "So we just need to weaken the braces, instead of cutting all the way through," Celina figured out.

          "Then I'll go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow," Aang said.

          "And boom, it all comes crashing down!" Sokka exclaimed excited.

          "Everyone inside that wall, the whole world, is counting on us," Aang said.

          "The whole world, minus the Fire Nation that is," Sokka corrected, a grin on his face.

          The others just looked exasperated with him and instead of commenting went back to work on the beams. Once again Katara and Aang teamed up with each other to take one while Celina got another one by herself. Not only was it quicker only cutting half way but they were able to get to more braces with two being worked on at once. In the time it took the three of them to take down the first beam they had already finished working on three others. After more time working on the beams they managed to get a good amount for Aang to go deliver the final blow.

          "Good work Team Avatar! Now Aang just needs to… Duck!" Sokka shouted.

          They ducked just in time to avoid the blue flame that was sent towards them. Looking just they saw that Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were standing on a massive girder above them.

          "Wow, Azula, you were right, it is the Avatar! And friends," Ty Lee said, her tone becoming a bit seductive at the end as she looked at Sokka.

          "Hey," Sokka smiled and waved to her, finding the Fire Nation girl attractive.

          "Seriously, Sokka!" Celina scolded as she dragged her brother out of the room.

          The Fire Nation trio dropped down from the girder and went to pursue the gang. Aang sent an air blast at Ty Lee who went to block their chi, sending the girl back and giving the group more time to escape. Everything was going fine until they came to an intersection in the corridors.

          "Guys get out of here, I know what I need to do," Aang told his friends, heading in on direction.

          "Wait! You need this water more than I do!" Katara called out and then tossed her water flask towards him. Aang nodded in thanks to her as he continued down the hallway while the Water Tribe siblings headed in the other direction. Unfortunately, the way they decided to go lead them towards a dead end that only contained a large hatch.

          "Slurry pipeline," Katara read from the sign placed above it. "What does that mean?"

          "It's rock and water mixed together, it means our way out," Sokka explained as he opened the hatch.

          Peering into the hatch they were a bit digested seeing the slurry but started headed down inside the pipe. As Katara started lowing herself into the pipe Mai and Ty Lee appeared. Seeing them Mai sent knives flying towards the siblings which Celina managed to block, drawing water from her flask and created a small wall of ice to stop them. Celina glared at Mai. She returned the ice to liquid, causing the knives to fall at her feet, and sent it towards Mai and Ty Lee. It flung them back just enough to allow Sokka and Celina to join Katara in the slurry pipe. They rode the cascade of slurry down out of the pipe which emptied out at the end of the drill. The siblings let out a shout as they landed in the pile of slurry. As they recovered the Water Tribe siblings looked up to see that Ty Lee was about to emerge from the pipe exhaust. Thinking quickly Celina and Katara used their bending to send the slurry back into the pipe, trapping Ty Lee in the slurry.

          "Why don't you try blocking my chi now circus freak!" Katara shouted up at her.

          Celina winced, losing her concentration for a moment. "Can we stop using that word, please?" she muttered softly.

          "Sorry," Katara apologized to her sister.

          "You two keep that up. The pressure will build up in the drill, then when Aang delivers the final blow, it will be ready to pop!" Sokka encouraged. So, the girls kept it up. Stopping up the slurry for Aang's final blow. They were doing fine but were becoming more and more annoyed as Sokka tried to encourage them though it came off more as lecturing. "Good technique sisters! Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!"

          "Sokka, stop telling two master waterbenders what to do. You've been really annoying when we're trying to work," Celina growled.

          "Yeah, I am just about sick and tired of you telling us what to do all day. You're like a chattering Hog Monkey!" Katara complained.

          "Just bend the slurry woman!" Sokka screamed at them.

          "Shut up!" Celina shrieked at her brother, her eyes briefly glowing her spirit blue.

          Sokka froze upon seeing the glow of her angry eyes a second time, scared of what she might do. It was Katara however that acted, breaking her concentration on the slurry pipe to bend a rush of slurry at Sokka, launching him back into the muck. With their brother taken care of the girls went back to their bending.

          "You guys need some help?" Toph asked, coming out from underneath the drill.

          "Help us plug up this drain!" Katara replied.

          Walking up to Celina, Toph braced her muddy legs and coordinated with Celina and Katara, driving the slurry even further up into the pipe. With the drill ready to blow all they had to do was wait on Aang who delivered the final hit within a few minutes. A chain of slurry eruptions began at the front segment of the drill and was quickly working its way towards the rear. Toph, being able to feel the vibrations of it through her earthbending was the first one to be alerted to this.

          "Here it comes!" she alerted the others.

          To save them from the waves of slurry that was heading their way, Toph earthbended a huge pillar, elevating them from the slurry just in time. With Celina, Katara, and Toph not holding the slurry back anymore Ty Lee was slammed against the pillar, continuing to be held there by the powerful current of the slurry. The group watched happily as a section of the drill slumped to a stop, clouds of steam rising from it, as the drill fully stopped. Wiping and bending the mud off them the four of them smiled.

* * *

          The gang stood on top of the wall, watching the sunset over the barrens and the destroyed drill. They were exhausted from the day's attack but relieved that they won the battle.

          "I just want to say, good effort out there today Team Avatar," Sokka said enthusiastically.

          "Enough with the Team Avatar stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it's not gonna catch on," Katara said slightly annoyed.

          "How about… the Boomerang Squad! See it's good cause it's got Aang in it," Sokka suggested.

          "I kinda like that one," Aang admitted.

          "Why not just, The Gaang? G – A – A – N – G. That's simple enough," Celina jumped in.

          "I like that one way better," Toph commented.

          "Let's talk about this more on our way into the city," Katara suggested.

          "That reminds me, you owe me sweets," Celina smiled as the group began to walk away.

          "At least you're easy to please," Sokka said.

          "Hey, it's something we have in common. Give us good food and we'll be happy," Celina shrugged.

          "She is right," Katara remarked.

          "Food does sound good right around now," Aang said.

          "Great! Let's get going then. Time to get some sweets!" Celina celebrated, causing the others to laugh.


	13. City of Walls and Secrets

          The Gaang stayed at the train station the night after the drill since it was too late to catch the monorail into the city. Plus, the general invited them to dinner which they all enjoyed, especially Celina when Sokka got her some sweets. It was nice and relaxing after the harsh battle. Everyone slept well after that. Celina was greeted warmly by Bitten in the Spirit World who proceeded to carry her to her room for another night filled with lust, teaching her new positions. The morning came too early but at least Celina left sexually satisfied and with some easier to remove undergarments as Bitten promised he'd get her. So, after a quick breakfast with the Gaang, the five of them boarded the monorail and began their journey into the city. The Water Tribe girls looked out the window over the gorgeous farmland leading to the inner wall.

          "Look, the inner wall. I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece," Katara pointed out to the others.

          "Hey don't jinx it! We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp," Sokka theorized.

          "You been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph questioned.

          "I'm just sayin', weird stuff happens to us," Sokka replied.

          "He's not wrong," Celina admitted. "My whole existence is pretty much proof of that."

          Aang wasn't as excited as the others, however, as Katara caught him looked out the window, sadness in his eyes.

          "Don't worry, Aang, we'll find Appa," Katara promised him.

          "It's such a big city," he replied, not feeling that confident.

          "He's a giant bison. Where could someone possibly hide him? Oh," Sokka tried to tell him but quickly shut up once the monorail passed through the inner wall.

          Everyone was taken aback at the vastness of the city, especially the Water Tribe siblings. The biggest city they'd seen was the Northern Water Tribe but after entering Ba Sing Se they could easily say the Earth Kingdom city put the Water Tribe city to shame. Ba Sing Se stretched almost as far as the eye could see, roads and building filling the space inside the wall. No matter which direction they looked everything looked spectacular. Exiting the monorail, the siblings looked around in awe while Toph simply sighed.

          "Back in the city. Great."

          "What's the problem? It's amazing!" Sokka asked confused.

          "Just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait; you'll get sick of it in a couple of days," she replied.

          Aang wasn't listening to them. Instead, he took out his bison whistle and blew, looking across the city hoping that something would respond. "I'm comin' for you, buddy. He's here. I can feel it," he said. From behind the Gaang, a woman with long dark hair and an unnatural smile approached them.

          "Hello, my name is Joo Dee," the woman introduced. "I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Celina, Sokka, Katara, and Toph. Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

          "Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately," Sokka said.

          "Great, let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it," Joo Dee ignored him and attempted to lead the Gaang off towards a carriage.

          "Excuse me, but my brother has something important to tell you and you just blew him off," Celina said annoyed, stepping in front of Joo Dee to stop her from moving forward.

          "Yeah, we need to talk to the King about the war, it's important," Sokka reiterated.

          "You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here," Joo Dee said.

          The Gaang looked at her confused except for Celina who just looked at her annoyed. Deciding it was best not to cause a scene in front of the monorail station the Gaang got into the carriage with Joo Dee and took off on a tour of the city, contemplating when to bring up the issue. The first place they traveled through was the lower ring with shops and refugees lining the streets.

          "This is the Lower Ring," Joo Dee told the Gaang.

          "What's that wall for?" Katara asked.

          "Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us, and the ones inside that help maintain order. This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively," Joo Dee informed them. Looking out the window two men holding swords glared as the carriage passed. "You do want to watch your step though."

          "Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara questioned.

          "To maintain their order. Apparently, Be Sing Se doesn't want different classes mixing. They don't want to mess up their perfect image," Celina guessed, annoyance laced in her voice. She shot a glare at Joo Dee who tensed up a bit but simply shot her a forced smile.

          "This is why I never came here before. I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live," Aang said.

          The carriage continued on through the Lower Ring, crossing over into the next section via a bridge. It instantly looked cleaner and nicer than the Lower Ring that they just saw.

          "This is the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, home to the financial district, shops, restaurants, and the university," Joo Dee informed them.

          "Yeah, we met a Professor from Ba Sing Se University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the King to hear!" Sokka said, seeing the opportunity to discuss the important matter once more.

          "Isn't history fascinating?" Joo Dee ignored once again when the carriage stopped. "Look, here's one of the oldest building in the Middle Ring, Town Hall." And with that, she stepped out of the carriage.

          "Is that woman deaf? She only seems to hear every other word I say," Sokka complained.

          "It's called 'being handled'. Get used to it," Toph told him.

          "I'd call it more being a jerk," Celina almost growled.

          "Celina, your eyes," Sokka warned.

          Celina looked at her brother confused but Katara helped to provide some clarification. The younger waterbender drew some water out of her flask and froze the small section so that it could act as a mirror. Looking into it Celina saw that her eyes were glowing their spirit blue glow. She closed her eyes and concentrated on pushing her spirit abilities down. When she opened her eyes, she saw in the makeshift mirror that the glowing had stopped. Everyone let out a breath of relief. Celina winced, however, feeling the awful headache that always followed the glow when she didn't use her powers.

          "Is everything okay?" Joo Dee asked, coming back to the carriage. Katara quickly turned the ice back into water and returned it to her flask before the woman noticed.

          "Yes, just have a bit of a headache. So much new information, you know," Celina assured her.

          "Perhaps we should head to your lodgings then to let you all rest," Joo Dee thought and got back into the carriage. She knocked on the wall of the carriage, alerting the driver to continue. Celina couldn't help but wince at the noise and sent another glare at Joo Dee. This time she noticed. "My apologies."

          The ride through the Middle Ring went by in a blast and before they knew it the carriage arrived in the next section. Once again, the Gaang could instantly see how much nicer this section was compared to the last as beautiful rolling hills and tall pagodas were settled in the area.

          "The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here," Joo Dee informed them.

          The Gaang peered out the window as the carriage passed yet another wall, though this time it had a tall, ornate gate. They were barely able to see the roof of an enormous building on the other side of the wall. At the gate, three men stood wearing dark robes and wide-brimmed hats, their sights turning towards the carriage.

          "What's inside that wall?" Katara asked.

          "And who are the mean looking guys in robes?" Sokka added.

          "Inside is the Royal Palace. Those men are the Agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions," Joo Dee answered.

          "Can we see the King now?" Aang asked.

          "Oh, no! One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King," Joo Dee denied.

          Aang nodded his head sadly and everyone stayed quiet for the rest of the ride. When the carriage stopped the Gaang exited right in front of a lovely house. It wasn't the biggest compared the others they saw on their way there, but it was a good size to fit all five of them.

          "Here we are. Your new home," Joo Dee presented. She was interrupted as a messenger ran up to Joo Dee and handed her a scroll. Reading through it the guide smiled at the gang. "More good news, your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual."

          "A month!" Sokka exclaimed stunned.

          "Six to eight weeks, actually," Joo Dee clarified. "Come inside. I shall show you around."

          It was Katara, Toph, and Aang who followed after Joo Dee. Celina and Sokka hung back, taking in their emotions. Sokka dealing with frustration while Celina dealt with annoyance that was slowly turning into anger. The two stewed in it for a bit before taking a deep breath to calm down and then headed inside. It was nice inside the house, with lit lamps showing off furniture fitting for the Upper Ring. Katara and Toph were already seated on mats in the middle of the room, barely listening to Joo Dee.

          "Isn't it nice? I think you will really enjoy it here," she said.

          "I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying so long. Can't we see the King any sooner?" Sokka asked.

          "The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world, but he will see you as soon as time permits," Joo Dee promised.

          "If we are going to be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Appa," Aang suggested something that the whole Gaang could agree upon.

          "I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you would like to go," Joo Dee bowed.

          "We don't need a babysitter," Toph said.

          "We've traveled across the world on our own for months. Navigating the city won't be any different," Celina backed up.

          She stood up and headed towards the door, but Joo Dee stood in the way. "Oh, I won't get in the way. And to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"

          The Gaang sighed in frustration and defeat, knowing that they weren't going to lose their host anytime soon. Celina growled, her annoyance building back up. If their short time together gave her any inclination, Joo Dee would provide to be more of a nuisance than help.

* * *

          Their search for information on Appa provided to be fruitless. They checked with pet shops on the black market only to get nothing. Then the Gaang headed to the university and when Sokka questioned a student about the war with the Fire Nation he suddenly had to go. Each time Celina noticed that Joo Dee would stare at the questioned person as if telling them to say nothing. This caused Celina to get angrier and angrier. Multiple times her siblings had to warn her about her eyes glowing which she squashed before anyone could notice. By the time they arrived back to their lodging Celina had a massive headache.

          "Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your bison. Why don't you go get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner later," Joo Dee said before riding off in the carriage. As the carriage was driving off the Gaang noticed that a man in the house across the street had been watching them. He hid once he spotted their gaze.

          "Hey, come with me," Sokka told the others.

          The Gaang followed Sokka across the street where he banged on the man's door. The man opened the door and smiled at them. "You're the Avatar. I heard you were in town. I'm Pao," the man introduced himself.

          "So, Pao, what's goin' on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?" Sokka questioned.

          "War? What do you mean?" Pao questioned scared, his eyes shifting left and right.

          "I can feel you shaking," Toph pointed out.

          "Look, I'm just a minor government official. I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble," Pao said.

          "Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked.

          "Shh, listen, you can't mention the war here, and whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li," Pao told them before sliding his door shut. The Gaang stared at each other taken aback.

          "Perhaps we should head inside to talk about this in private," Celina suggested, carefully checking to see if anyone else was watching them. The others agreed, and the group headed back to their house. As soon as they closed the door the conversation started.

          "How can nobody talk about the war!" Sokka exclaimed. "Everybody should be talking about that."

          "In a city this big, people must know about it," Toph said.

          "People know about it, it just seems they're not allowed to talk about the war," Aang figured.

          "But why?" Katara questioned confused.

          "To maintain order. Just like how they separate the classes to keep things perfect they must outlaw talk of the war. The city doesn't want to damage their happy image with something so negative. No matter how real and threatening it is," Celina put together. Her eyes glowed their spirit blue glow and her voice carried pent up anger from the day, causing the others to tense. "It's clear we're gonna get nowhere trying to find information from the people of the city. If we want to accomplish anything we need to figure out how to see the King ourselves."

          "You're right, but for now we should rest. It's been a long day and feelings have been heightened. It would be best if we just relax for the rest of the night and come up with a plan tomorrow," Aang suggested, trying to calm Celina down.

          Celina herself let out a frustrated sigh but agreed. "Fine." The others automatically relaxed when the glowing of her eyes disappeared. Celina herself winced, once again feeling the harshness of the after effects. "I think I'm gonna head to bed. Hopefully, sleep will get rid of this headache."

          She headed off into the house where the girls' quarters were and prepared to head to bed but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Celina winced at the noise but invited the person in. The door opened to reveal Sokka, looking at his sister with worry in his eyes.

          "Celina, we have to talk," he said.

          "About what? We just decided that we wouldn't come up with a plan until tomorrow," she questioned.

          "No, this isn't about that. We need to talk about your eyes," he told her. "They've been glowing way too much, which isn't good considering we're trying to keep your spirit side a secret. Not only that but ever since you unlocked your spirit powers back at the library, you've so quick to get annoyed or angry which brings out the eyes."

          "I… haven't noticed," Celina admitted a bit embarrassed.

          "It used to take so much to make you mad. What happened?" he asked.

          "I don't know," she replied. "I guess I'm just growing into my abilities."

          "How does getting mad fit into growing your spirit abilities?" Sokka asked confused.

          "I'm the Spirit of Passion. Anger is a part of passion," she told him.

          "You must get that from your dad," Sokka commented. There was a bit of silence between the two before he spoke again. "Look, I know things have been crazy for you discovering this whole spirit side. But you're gonna need to learn how to control your eyes. We might not catch you in time. And who knows how dangerous that information could be here."

          "And how do you suggest I do that?" Celina asked.

          "You're gonna have to learn how to calm down. The sigh you let out earlier helped, it stopped your glowing before. You're just gonna have to learn techniques to keep your cool."

          "So, meditating," Celina said.

          "Whatever helps," Sokka replied. "I just don't want to see you go out of control in a fit of passion over something stupid and hurt people or possibly yourself in the process. That's not you, Celina. You've always been better than that."

          Celina looked away from her brother, ashamed with herself, before turning back to face him. "I'll try," she promised him. Feeling the moment call for it Sokka walked over and hugged his sister, who happily accepted it.

          That's all I ask," he said. When the two parted Sokka's curious side got the better of him. "So, if you get passionate anger from your dad than what passion do you get from your mom?"

          "You don't want to go there," Celina said, the blush present on her face telling Sokka that he really didn't want to know. So Sokka just nodded and then backed out of the room. Celina let out a shaky breath once he was gone and turned to her bed. She'd have to ask Bitten for some techniques of how to calm herself down once she entered the Spirit World. Well… after a round in bed.

* * *

          The Gaang was sitting around the next day, trying to come up with plans on how they were going to see the Earth King. So far there was no such luck. It was mainly Celina, Sokka, and Aang trying to bounce ideas off one another while Toph ate and Katara went out to fetch the mail. When Katara returned, however, she brought along an idea with her.

          "I've got it! I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!" she said excitedly.

          "How are we supposed to do that?" Toph asked.

          "'One doesn't' just pop in on the Earth King'," Celina mimicked Joo Dee.

          "The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear," Katara informed them, holding up the message.

          "You mean platypus bear?" Aang asked.

          "No, it just says bear," Katara replied, reading the message.

          "Certainly, you mean his pet skunk bear," Sokka said.

          "Or his armadillo bear," Celina popped in.

          "Just… bear," Katara reiterated.

          "This place is weird," Toph commented, something the others agreed upon.

          "The palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd," Katara suggested.

          "Won't work," Toph shot down.

          "Why not?" Katara questioned.

          "Well, no offense to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd would spot you from a mile away. You've got no manners," Toph told her.

          "Excuse me? I've got no manners? You're not exactly lady fancy fingers," Katara challenged.

          "I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it. You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late," Toph explained.

          "Ah ha, but you learned it. You could teach us," Sokka said.

          "Yeah, I'm mastering every element. How hard could manners be?" Aang added. He took a nearby curtain and draped it around him like a robe, putting on airs. "Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe. Ms. Katara Water Tribe. Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty, your Momoness."

          The lemur peaked out from where he was underneath a carper and nodded his head, going along with it. Sokka even got his own curtain to wear to go back and forth with Aang on being high class.

          "Avatar Aang, how you do? Go on," Sokka said to him.

          They bowed back and forth, each trying to up the other which ended with them bonking their heads together.

          "Katara might be able to pull it off. Celina might be able to as well as long as she could keep her eyes under control," Toph told him.

          "I can. Besides, you're gonna need my feminine charms in case we run into any snags," Celina assured her.

          "Good, but you two would be lucky to pass as busboys," Toph continued, addressing Sokka and Aang.

          "But I feel so fancy," Sokka complained.

          "If we're gonna do this then we better get to work. Not only does Toph have to teach us the rules of high society but the three of us need to get dresses," Celina said.

          "Shopping here we come," Katara smiled.

          "Uh, not only do you get to be all fancy, but you get to go shopping as well. This isn't fair," Sokka complained.

          "Sorry, Sokka," Katara apologized, though the sincerity didn't meet her tone. "We'll be back once we got our dresses."

          And with that the girls left the house, leaving the boys to continue pretending.

* * *

          Night had fallen and Aang and Sokka spent their time playing small games. The girls returned a while ago with bags that contained their outfits for the party. Instead of stopping to talk with the boys however they went straight to their quarters. The boys were left bored, but their attention was quickly grabbed when the door opened and Katara and Toph walked out. They were all dolled up in beautiful Earth Kingdom dresses of pale greens and whites. Their hair was pulled up in floral ornaments, though some of Toph's hair hung down in braids. Fans coyly tried to hide their painted faces as eyeshadow made their eyes pop, rogue flushed their checks, and lipstick pouted their lips. Breaking their poses Katara and Toph erupted into giggles. Aang blushed and looked at Katara dreamy-eyed.

          "Wow, you look beautiful," he complemented Katara.

          "Thanks, Celina helped a lot with hair and makeup," she informed them, real blush faintly appearing underneath the painted blush.

          "Where is Celina?" Sokka asked.

          "She's finishing up her makeup," Toph answered.

          "I'm ready!" Celina called out and then stepped out from the girl's quarters.

          Everyone's mouth dropped upon seeing the fully dolled up Celina. Her ethereal beauty that came from her spirit blood and her mother really shone through. Instead of being dressed in white and pale greens her dress was a deep, rich green with sashes of light green and gold which was fastened with golden roses. A string of golden beads laid upon her neck and earrings of emerald and gold adorned her ears. Her hair was pinned back in curls with the same golden roses that held her sashes. Celina's face was painted like Katara's and Toph's, the makeup bringing out her best features, making her eyes shine naturally and lips seem ever so kissable. Everything about her appearance screamed earth though the way the fabric moved with her spoke water.

          "Spirits you're gorgeous. When did that happen?" Sokka said.

          "She really does look like the daughter of love," Katara smiled.

          "I don't know if I like this anymore. You're gonna attract so many guys looking like that," Sokka said uncertain.

          "Perfect, it will help us get into the party easier," Celina smiled.

          "But…" Sokka tried to protest.

          "That's enough talking to the commoners," Toph interrupted.

          "We'll get in the party and then find a way to let you in through the side gate," Katara told the boys as the girls headed out.

          It was a walk towards the palace but luckily it was a cool night, so the girls didn't work up a sweat. When they got to the palace gate the girls saw a huge line of high-class citizens waiting to get in. Katara and Toph instantly fell in line while Celina went off to scope out any males she could charm. She instantly smirked upon seeing a group of three young men arrive, joking around before they entered the line. It was almost certain that one of the guys would address her if she were to walk past. Celina quickly put on a sad face as she made her way over to them.

          "Why hello there, Miss. Are you here for the King's party as well?" one of the guys addressed her, just like Celina planned. With her right in front of them, the young men looked Celina up and down, liking like they saw

          "Oh, yes or I was…" Celina answered, sniffling a bit.

          "What's the matter? It's wrong for a beautiful girl like you to be upset," another of the men asked.

          "It's just… my family came here in hopes to find me a potential suitor. But me, being ever so nervous to make a good impression, paused to fix my dress as we were about to head inside. When I looked up my parents had gone inside without me. I tried to explain things to the guard, but they refused to let me through. Now I shall never find a suitor," Celina mourned.

          "Don't worry, darling, we'll help you get inside. All we ask in return is a dance with such a beautiful woman as yourself," the third man said, stepping up to be a hero.

          "Oh, thank you so much. You three are truly amazing. Of course, I'll share a dance with each of you," Celina slightly swooned.

          "Care to give us your name?" the first man asked.

          "Chiaki," Celina made up, deciding to use a different name than her typical go to for disguise. She offered her hand to which the first man took and kissed.

          "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady," he replied. "My name is Gyishang, and these are my brothers Xe and Rollan."

          "It's a pleasure to meet you all," Celina smiled as Rollan took her hand and kissed it.

          "The pleasure is all ours, my lady Chiaki," Xe said, taking her hand from his brother to kiss it himself.

          "Shall we head inside then?" Celina suggested.

          The three brothers nodded. They fought for a bit over who would escort Celina inside, something she noted for later, before Xe managed to "win". He offered Celina his arm which she took and then the four of them headed towards the entrance. Celina looked around for Katara and Toph to motion to fall in with the group but was surprised to see them being ushered inside with an older gentleman. She was surprised but relieved that she wouldn't have to convince the brother to let them in with her. The guard didn't give them any trouble as Gyishang presented their invitation, allowing them inside the palace. That was one obstacle down, now Celina just had to figure out how to ditch the brothers. Looking around the room, with how many people filled it, it wouldn't be hard to avoid them once she did so.

          "Oh, everything is so marvelous," Celina gushed. "And there's the dance floor! Let me fulfill my promise then. Xe, you first."

          Gyishang and Rollan looked like they wanted to argue more about who would get to dance with "Chiaki" but Celina pulled Xe always too fast. They instantly fell into place with the other dancing couples and moved to the music. Celina was happy that Bitten taught her how to dance as part of her lessons in flirting. She knew how to move with grace and confidence which was more than she could say for Xe. He was a bit flustered with how close he was to Celina and kept looking at his feet. There wasn't any room for conversation as Xe focused all his conversation on trying not to stumble over himself. Luckily the dance didn't last long as after two minutes Gyishang stepped in. Xe tried to complain but Gyishang whisked her away in the speed of the dance.

          "Why hello there," Celina greeted. Looks like her hopes that the brothers would fight over her so much that the time spent dancing would be short was coming true.

          "Lady Chiaki, I hope my brother didn't step on your feet," Gyishang said.

          "Oh no, my feet are completely fine. He's not much of a dancer, is he?" Celina answered, setting Gyishang up to make a joke.

          "I'm afraid not. He was never the strongest dancer out of the three of us. Our parents got him extra lessons, but it never seemed to click with him," he said. The next part he leaned in close to her ear. "To tell you the truth, the King's bear is probably a better dancer than Xe is."

          Celina threw back her head and laughed, making it a point to show that Gyishang made her laugh. He smiled, feeling accomplished. "I don't know if I want to test that out," she told him.

          "What? You would turn down the King's bear if he asked you to dance?" Gyishang asked.

          "Oh, spirits, I don't think I'd survive either way," Celina joked, causing the two of them to laugh.

          The laughter was interrupted however as Rollan tapped on his brother's shoulders. "I believe it's my turn," he told his brother.

          "But I've hardly been able to dance with her," Gyishang complained.

          "You've been dancing with her longer than Xe," Rollan told him.

          "He's right. It would only be far to switch," Celina agreed, moving out of Gyishang's hold into Rollan's.

          Rollan smirked at his brother was him and "Chiaki" fell into the dance. It was a big change, switching from brother to brother. Xe was a bit of a mess as a dancer, Gyishang was a step up from that and danced how Celina was taught, and then there was Rollan. Whatever lady ended up with him better know how to dance because spirits he was amazing. He was twirling her around the dance floor like a professional.

          "Wow, you're quite the dancer," Celina complemented.

          "Thank you, I find being a good dancer is extremely important. Especially when trying to impress people," Rollan smiled.

          "Your skills are certainly impressive, though I'm afraid my own skill set doesn't match up," Celina admitted.

          "I think you're dancing quite wonderfully," Rollan complemented.

          "That's very kind of you, though I'm not sure I can keep up much longer," Celina admitted feeling the effects from her fifth spin. "I'm getting pretty dizzy."

          "Should we stop?" Rollan asked concerned.

          "Perhaps that should be for the best," Celina said, happy that she fulfilled her promise. When they exited the dance floor she was hoping to dip away to find her friends and hopefully a glass of water, but the other two brothers were instantly on her, hoping for another round of dancing. She had to squash that. "Thank you three so much for your escort in and the wonderful dances, however, I should really go find my parents. I shall talk to them about you three becoming potential suitors and hopefully, they will allow me to see you again."

          The brothers tried to protest but Celina just gave them a simple wave and disappeared into the crowd. Once she was completely away Celina stopped to take a deep breath. She was lucky that the brothers weren't annoying which would have made things way more difficult. Especially with her glowing eyes appeared ever so easily nowadays. Still, it was nice to take a breath and gather her bearings. A server took notice that she was a bit tired and offered her his tray of glasses. Celina happily took one of the flutes and continued on into the crowd, sipping the bubbly drink as she looked for her friends. Perhaps the light alcohol will help keep her relaxed to keep her eyes under control. So, she weaved through the crowd, trying her best to spot Toph and Katara. She managed to find them after a bit of searching and was happy to discover that they were with Sokka and Aang who were dressed in server uniforms.

          "Where's Celina?" she heard Sokka asked their sister.

          "I'm not sure, I saw her charm a group of three men to escort her in but by then Toph and I were dealing with our own escort," Katara answered.

          "Three men!" Sokka quietly freaked out.

          "Relax, Sokka, I managed to ditch them after speeding up a promised dance. Might've broken some hearts in the process but I did what needed to be done to get inside," Celina told him, walking up to the group.

          "Their hands must not have strayed anyplace inappropriate," Sokka growled, the overprotective brother instincts becoming apparent.

          "They were gentlemen, Sokka. Do you really think I'd let anyone disrespect me without consequences?" Celina replied, taking a sip of her drink. "It's good to see that the three of us managed to get away from our escorts."

          "Unfortunately, only you have managed to do that," Toph admitted.

          "He won't let us out of his sight," Katara added. The group looked around for Katara and Toph's escort but who they found instead was Joo Dee. As soon as she spotted them her cheerful, fake demeanor was replaced by one of fear.

          "What are you going here? You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble," she gasped and went to push Sokka away. He blocked her however with his serving tray.

          "Not until we see the King," he said, standing her ground.

          "You don't understand. You must go," Joo Dee panicked.

          She shoved Sokka into Aang which caused him to spill the contents of his pitcher all over a guest. The woman screamed upon getting soaked, causing the people around to stop and stare at them.

          "Sorry! No, don't shout," Aang apologized.

          Trying to be helpful Aang used his hands and foot to airbend a gust of air at the guest, intending to dry her off. While he did do that he also turned her hair, clothes, and makeup into a complete mess. The guest was shocked but upon seeing the now exposed arrow on Aang's head she smiled.

          "The Avatar. Ooh, I didn't know the Avatar would be here," she said in awe.

          By now all the guests' attention was focused on Aang. Joo Dee had a look of pure dread upon seeing that everyone now knew that the Avatar was here. Aang waved awkwardly at everyone, nervously letting out a laugh. Deciding to be the distraction Aang turned to discard his server's costume and started entertaining the crowd with airbending tricks. The crowd was delighted and so was the King's bear. While Aang went about doing that Sokka continued on with his charade as a server to look for the Earth King while the girls used their fancy dress to covertly observe the party as well. Katara and Toph could do that well.

          Celina, however, was only able to five minutes watching for the King before being surrounded by men. It was flattering, of course, being asked to dance or if she needed a refill on her drink or something to eat, but it was really hindering her mission. She wished she had one of the server's outfits on so that she could sneak away. Her patience was being put to the test. Celina had downed her drink in hopes that it would help keep her calm, but a glass of light alcohol could only do so much. She was about to step outside to take a breather before the eyes came out but at that moment two lines of guards came out carrying a curtained platform where the Earth King sat comfortably. Celina watched as Aang rode up to the King on an air scooter to greet him, but the King was carried off before any more interaction could occur. Instead, another man stepped out in front of Aang with lines of Dai Lee guards behind him.

          "Avatar, it is a great honor to meet you. I am Long Feng, Grand Secretary of Ba Sing Se and head of the Dai Li. I'd like to talk to you. Your friends will be waiting for us in the library," he said.

          Aang was about to follow him, a look of confusion on his face when Celina pushed past the men surrounding her and ran over to him.

          "Aang!" Celina shouted, causing the airbender to pause, a look of relief on his face to see that one of his friends was alright. Celina smiled at him before turning to Long Fang. "Looks like you missed one of us."

          "Well then, now that I have everyone, let's be off to the library," Long Feng replied, forcing a smile on his face.

          Celina and Aang stuck close together, eyeing the Dai Li agents nervously as they lead them towards the royal library. Once they were inside the two of them saw Sokka, Katara, and Toph standing in there safe and sound. Relief fell on all the Gaang's faces seeing that each other was okay before turning to Long Feng who sat in front of a light hearth.

          "Why won't you let us talk to the King?" Sokka demanded. "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

          "The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities," Long Feng replied in a cool, calm demeanor.

          "This could be the most important thing he has ever heard," Aang stressed.

          "What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military," Long Feng explained.

          "So the King is just a figurehead," Katara figured out.

          "He's your puppet!" Toph growled.

          "Oh, no, no! His Majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly changes of an endless war," Long Fend tried to tell them.

          "But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless. You could lead an invasion…" Sokka tried to explain his plan.

          "Enough, I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan!" Long Feng interrupted, finally showing his true colors. "It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic. Our economy would be ruined. Our peaceful way of life, our traditions would disappear. In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia. The last one on Earth."

          "This isn't a utopia. It's all just a guise you put up, but you've shown us a peak of what's underneath, and it's something people would run from. You can't keep the truth from all these people. They have to know. Spirits, a third of your residents are refugees from this damn war," Celina almost growled.

          The rest of the gang stiffened. She used to just curse under her breath before but now, thanks to her unlocked spirit powers and Long Feng presenting himself as a horrible person, that was out the window. She was mad and they were worried how much worse she would get if it continued. They just prayed that she didn't reveal her glow to Long Feng.

          "Celina," Sokka warned.

          "What a nasty mouth for a pretty flower," Long Feng commented.

          "Consider me a rose. Beautiful to look at but if messed with then prepared to be pricked by the thorns," Celina replied back, glaring at Long Feng. Aang stepped in, hoping to move the attention away from his friend.

          "I'll tell them. I'll make sure everyone knows!" he said defiantly.

          "Until now, you've been treated as our honored guest. But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city. I understand you've been looking for your bison. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest," Long Feng threatened.

          Aang stepped back frightened and the others joined him in his expression. All except for Celina who stood there, the amount of anger threatening to boil over. She wished she could make Long Feng pay for his threat, but she didn't. No, she had to stay in control. With fists clenched Celina closed her eyes, just in time to hide the spirit glow. Conceal her eyes, hide who she really was, don't let him know of her true power. At least for now. The others couldn't help but let out a breath of relief seeing Celina taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

          "Now, Joo Dee will show you home," Long Feng informed them, sitting back down. When the library door opened the woman, they were expecting didn't walk in. Instead, it was someone completely different. She wore the same dress and had the same unsettling smile, but it was not the same woman.

          "Come with me, please," she said to them.

          "What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara asked.

          "I'm Joo Dee. I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city," the woman said.

          The gang stared at her in absolute horror, not wanting to even imagine what might have happened to their original Joo Dee. Even Celina opened her eyes, which were her normal blue, took see. The new Joo Dee only reinforced Celina's comment about Ba Sing Se being nothing like the utopia Long Feng tried to sell it as. The Gaang didn't say anything but followed the new Joo Dee out of the palace, into a carriage, and headed back to the house. It was once they got back to the house, away from the new Joo Dee that they started talking.

          "Tonight was awful," Aang groaned.

          "You said it," Toph replied.

          "The only good thing that came out of it was seeing that Celina keep her new temper under control," Sokka said.

          "Just barely. I really threw myself into the wolf bat's den tonight. Dealing with Long Feng without having any practice of keeping calm was challenging. Spirits that man!" Celina growled, letting her eyes glow now that they were in private.

          "But you did it. If you can handle him on your worst night then you can handle anything," Katara assured her.

          "Yeah, I've seen her do it," Toph commented. Sokka, Katara, and Aang shot her a look but Toph's joke just made Celina laugh, causing the glow to go away.

          "Thanks, Toph," Celina smiled, only to wince afterward feeling the headache come.

          "Come one, let's get changed and head to bed. It's been a long night," Katara suggested.

          Everyone nodded in response and headed to their quarters. The girls took time scrubbing their makeup off, undoing their hair, and getting out of their fancy dresses, but finally they were back in their regular clothing and more than ready to get into bed.

* * *

          Bitten smiled when he saw Celina enter the Spirit World but instantly became worried when he saw how tense she looked.

          "Bad day?" he asked. Celina didn't answer him. Instead, she grabbed his hand and lead her to her bedroom. Quickly closing the door once they were inside. "Well, aren't you raring to go."

          "I need you to relieve some tension," Celina told him, stripping herself of her shirt before attacking his mouth with hers.

          "Now that I can do," Bitten said in between kisses.

* * *


	14. Tales of Ba Sing Se

**The Tale of Iroh**

          Celina sat in the living room, enjoying a cup of tea. The Gaang took a few days after the Earth King's party to calm down, and also to get the Di Lee agents to relax a bit with their watchful eye. Celina and Sokka had been the ones to test out just how carefully they were being watched through shopping trips. Sokka had been wanting to go shopping for a while and Celina wanted to get something for a plan she'd been working on. The first day they could see the Di Lee agents out of the corners of their eyes. However, as Sokka got carried away with shopping the agents got bored and let their guard down. Which was perfect seeing as Celina was going to enact her plan today. After she finished her tea, which was a calming blend to keep her current anger issues in check. And it was working, her eyes hadn't glowed since the party.

          "Hey, Celina," Katara said, interrupting her tea time. "Toph and I are having a spa day. You wanna come?"

          "No thanks, I've got plans already. Besides, it's about time you and Toph had some quality bonding time just the two of you," Celina declined.

          "Shopping again?" Katara asked.

          "Nah, I'm shopped out. Just gonna go out and explore a bit, have a nice calming walk," she answered.

          "After a cup of calming tea?" Katara smirked finding the doubling down of the relaxation activities funny.

          "Can't be too careful now, can I?" Celina said.

          "You've been doing really well," she complimented her.

          "Thanks. Now go enjoy your day spa with Toph before she tunnels her way out of it," Celina smiled.

          Remembering that tunneling out of their spa day was actually something Toph would do, Katara ran to get the younger girl. Celina couldn't help but chuckle when she watched her sister drag Toph out of the house as Toph cried out to Celina, screaming at the older girl to save her and then called her a traitor for doing nothing. It was nice to see her friends and family fall into a domestic routine in a weird way. She knew that it wouldn't last forever but perhaps after the war they could fall back into it again. Finishing up her cup of tea Celina headed out.

          No one bothered her as Celina made her way out of the Upper Ring and into the Middle Ring, heading towards the university. She'd been there earlier in the week, setting up for her plan. A few students waved Celina good day as she entered the campus but once she entered the busier area no one paid her any attention. A perfect place to get lost in and hide her secret stash. Taking off a stone plate attached to a wall, Celina reached into the hole and pulled out a bag. She replaced the stone and ran off towards a closet. In there she changed into the simple Earth Kingdom disguise she'd bought. She remembered the look on the shop keeper's face when she purchased the outfit. The shopkeep urged her not to buy it, saying that it was more suited for those in the Lower Ring but Celina lied saying that it would be perfect for gardening. But looking like she belonged in the Lower Ring was exactly what she wanted. Once she was dressed Celina braided her hair to better her disguise and shoved her regular clothes into the bag. Heading back towards her secret hole in the wall she put the bag back in and left for the Lower Ring.

          Ever since Long Fang threatened them over making it difficult for the Gaang to find Appa Celina decided to start on a mission to find the bison. Remembering when they first arrived in the city it was clear that the Middle and Upper Rings weren't going to give them any information on where Appa could be. She had a feeling though that the Lower Ring would provide more information. Celina transitioned from the Middle Ring to the Lower Ring with ease, easily blending into the crowd. Today's plan was to begin learning the layout so that she'd be able to move quickly in case some Di Lee grew suspicious of her snooping around the Lower Ring. Her disguise was good but someone who was looking for her face would be able to pick her out.

          Walking around the Lower Ring though Celina noticed that things were different from when she and the others first toured around here. Before people sneered and came off as threatening, now she didn't see any of that. Some people waved her good day when she passed to which she politely waved back. Making her way through the streets Celina managed to make her way to an open market where several people were out doing their shopping. Celina noted that while the shops probably wouldn't be any help with information regarding Appa seeing as they were mostly food markets, but the busyness of the area would help her disappear in crowds. While she was cataloging all this information in her mind Celina accidentally bumped into someone.

          "Oh, I'm sorry!

          "My apologies."

          Looking up to see the person she bumped into Celina's eyes widened upon seeing that it was General Iroh. "I…!" she went to exclaim but stopped when she saw fear enter Iroh's eyes. "I wasn't expecting to run into you. How have you been…"

          "Mushi," Iroh replied, filling Celina in on his fake name. "It's is good to see you too…"

          "Hina," Celina told him. "When did you get here?"

          "Around a week ago. What about you?" Iroh asked.

          "About the same. Where's your nephew? I thought you two were traveling together again?" she answered.

          "Lee's back at the apartment enjoying his day off. We both work at a tea shop called the Pao Family Tea House," Iroh informed her.

          "That seems like the perfect place for you," Celina smiled. "I would stop by for a cup of tea but I'm not sure Lee would be comfortable seeing me just yet."

          "He's still adjusting to life here, though I'm sure my nephew would be delighted to see your beautiful self again once he's settled. You've had quite the effect on him," Iroh chuckled.

          Celina thought back to the last time she saw Zuko. Both of them were bent over an injured Iroh. He'd changed so much appearance wise with his hair cut short and looking malnourished. But the thing that stood out the most in Celina's mind was when Zuko grabbed hold of her wrist, and with the most genuine look in his eyes thanked her. The person who had been her enemy for so long was grateful for what she did. The one moment spoke volumes, making Celina wondered how much Zuko might have changed since then.

          "Maybe one day," she said, not rejecting the idea of seeing the Fire Prince again.

          "I'm surprised to see you down here. I would assume you'd be staying somewhere else," Iroh said.

          "I am. Just thought that I'd come down and… explore," Celina explained without giving anything away.

          "Well, why don't I accompany you for a bit. Help show you around," Iroh offered.

          "That would be nice," Celina smiled.

          Iroh offered up his free arm to Celina who graciously took it and the two began their journey through the Lower Ring, Celina more so just going along with Iroh's preplanned path. They walked away from the open market towards some of the more residential areas. They were passing through a courtyard where four boys were playing ball when the ball shot up and ripped through a window. There was a loud crash from inside.

          "Hey!" the angry man from inside the house shouted.

          Iroh walked up to the boys who interestingly gathered around to hear what he had to say. "It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor," he told them.

          "When I am through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken," the angry man threatened, peering out through the broken window to show how big and menacing the owner was.

          "But not this time. Run!" Iroh continued with his advice.

          The boys went in one direction while Celina and Iroh headed in another, not wanting to have to deal with the angry window man themselves. Turning into an alleyway the two of them hid. Iroh set down the basket he'd been carrying to check to see if the man had followed them while Celina tried to catch her breath.

          "You two. Give me all your money!"

          Celina and Iroh turned to see a messy looking man with a dagger pointed directly at them. While the top portion of him looked threatening the bottom part showed how wrong that assumption was as his legs were bent at an odd angle.

          "What are you doing?" Iroh asked.

          "I'm mugging you," the mugger answered.

          "With that stance?" Iroh questioned.

          "Wha… What are you talking about? Just give me your money, old man!" the mugger shouted.

          Taking matters into her own hands before the man could even try and use his dagger, Celina kicked his legs out from underneath him. As the man fell to the ground, so did his dagger which Celina picked up so that the man was completely disarmed.

          "With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked down," Iroh explained to him. He then went to help the robber up.

          "What are you doing?" Celina asked Iroh confused.

          "With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat," Iroh taught, showing the man the proper stance and correcting him when the man stood in the wrong way yet again. Iroh smiled once the man finally hit the correct stance. "Much better! But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type."

          "I know. I'm… I'm just confused," the mugger admitted.

          "Perhaps a nice cup of tea will set things straight," Iroh offered, sitting down and taking the tea out from his basket.

          "What just happened?" Celina asked confused.

          This time Iroh just tugged her arms a bit, indicating that she should sit down with them. The mugger followed suit, sitting down next to Celina as Iroh prepared tea. Celina eyed the man cautiously and moved the dagger she snatched to the other side of her where the man wasn't sitting.

          "So, tell me, what caused you to try your foot in the criminal life?" Iroh asked the man, handing him and Celina a cup of tea.

          "It was the pressure from my family. My father has been trying to push me into the blacksmith business for years, but I never wanted to go into that. I'm not made to do all the work that comes with being a blacksmith. I've always dreamed of having a more relaxing job as a masseur and making people feel good. When I told my family they shouted at me, saying not to be stupid and take a job set up for me. I said no and my father told me that I'd never find a job as a masseur and that I'd do better mugging people off the streets," the man explained. "But clearly I wasn't even able to get that right."

          "Those are three wildly different professions. It would make sense if you were more equipped for one profession than the others. You've expressed disinterest in blacksmithing and we have seen that the criminal life doesn't suit you, so it would make sense that the third option would be the best," Iroh said.

          "I don't even know if I'd be good at being a masseur," the man admitted.

          "Perhaps we can test that right now," Iroh suggested, motioning for the man to test his skills out on Celina.

          "On me?" Celina questioned, pointing to herself. She looked over at the man apprehensively. He shot her pleading eyes, asking her to give him a chance which was only reinforced by Iroh's look. Celina let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine."

          The man smiled, happy that she was giving him a chance, and moved behind her after setting down his cup. Celina instinctively grabbed hold of the dagger and held it in her lap, replacing her teacup with the dagger to make sure the man wouldn't be able to grab hold of it again. She was not taking that risk while her back was to him. Without Celina fidgeting anymore the man set his hands on her back muscles and began the massage. It took a minute or two for the man to find his footing and the knots that had built up in Celina's back but once he got there it was amazing. She let out a pleased sigh and relaxed into the man's touch. She'd forgotten how much tension had built up over the months of traveling with Aang and this man massaging away all that build up felt amazing.

          "I think this proves that you can do it," Iroh smiled.

          "So, you really think I could be a good masseur?" the man asked.

          "Yes," Celina purred.

          "There's your answer," Iroh replied.

          "This is so great! No one has ever believed in me," the man grinned.

          "While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing," Iroh told him.

          The three of them finished up their tea, and Celina's massage before Celina and Iroh departed, leaving the man with a better outlook and high hopes for his future. Even Celina left the alleyway feeling better. As she continued traveling with Iroh she began to think. If he could help a mugger with his problems, then maybe he could help her with a problem.

          "You're really good at giving advice," Celina commented.

          "Years of experience," Iroh chuckled.

          "Could you… help me with a problem?" Celina asked meekly.

          "I can certainly try," Iroh replied.

          "It's just… this year has been big for me. I've discovered a lot about myself, I've been working on overcoming major hurdles, becoming stronger. Which is great but recently, my newest self-discovery came with an… undesirable side effect. I've… I've gotten angrier, or well, quick to anger. Things that are a minor annoyance can send me into this rage which can be dangerous for so many people, including myself. I used to be this person who remained calm and kept their head in stressful situations, but now I've become someone who scares my friends and family when I get mad. I want to be that calm person again. I've been drinking tea to help keep me calm but I know I can't rely on that. I won't always have access to it, especially with how traveling has been going for me," she explained.

          "Ah yes, I remember seeing a fraction of your anger back at the North Pole," Iroh commented, causing Celina to shift her weight from one foot to the other out of embarrassment.

          "I forgot you were there for that," she said.

          "Well, you were focused on other things. Now regarding your problem, while I do believe that tea can fix a lot of things you are correct in that you can't rely on that. Anger is something that can control a person if they let it. You'll notice that firebenders tend to be overtaken by their anger as they believe it heightens their bending abilities. But anger is not the answer, it causes people to not only lose control of themselves but lose sight of the bigger picture. I am not sure what has brought this issue on for you, my dear. Only you know the answer to that. But I know that you have the strength to fight against it. Take time to look into yourself and take back control over your body, over your emotions. This life is yours to live, so choose to live it the way you want," he philosophized.

          Celina looked at Iroh warmly as they continued to walk. How in the world could the Fire Nation produce such as wise, caring man such as him?

          "Thank you, Ir... I mean, Mushi," Celina said, correcting herself before accidentally exposing the older man. "You're a great friend."

          "You're welcome, Hina. I'm always open to giving advice to anyone who cares to listen," he replied with a smile.

          The two continued on in a comfortable silence with Iroh leading the way as Celina looked around, learning the pathways that the Lower Ring contained. It was around sunset that the two made it on top of a hill that held a beautiful cherry blossom. Leaves fell gracefully around them, making the city look softer than when Celina entered. Yet what made Celina pause was the change in the atmosphere. The comfortable contentedness that followed the pair here transitioned to a beautiful melancholy. She looked around confused as to what could have brought this on and got an answered once she noticed what Iroh had done. Right at the base of the tree was a small memorial featuring a picture of a Fire Nation man and two burning incense. In front of those Iroh left simple offerings that he'd pulled from the basket. Celina stood back, silent, as she watched Iroh mourn, not daring to interrupt.

          "Happy Birthday, my son. If only I could have helped you," he whispered to the picture, his voice breaking out of grief before he began to sing.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow.  
Like fragile, tiny shells,  
Drifting in the foam.  
Little soldier boy, come marching home.  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

          As tears ran down Iroh's face Celina could feel them streaming down her own. Witnessing such an intimate moment of a father mourning brought her back to her mother's death. Kya. While Ai was her actual mother Celina still thought of her adoptive mother as her mom and when she was killed it broke Celina's heart and shattered the family in a way no one really realized. Losing a parent was hard and spirits it hurt but Celina could never imagine outliving a child.

          By the time tears stopped there was only a sliver of light remaining from the sun. Iroh gathered all the memorial items together and gently placed them back in his basket, sniffling a bit. Celina stood to the side, wiping away her tears. Once Iroh stood up Celina slowly walked over to him and gave him a hug which he instantly accepted. It took three good squeezes for Iroh to regain his composure. Pulling away from the hug Iroh gave Celina a smile.

          "I believe it is time both of us head home," he suggested. Celina nodded in agreement and the two started to make their way down the hill. Iroh, ever the gentleman, escorted Celina back to the entrance of the Lower Ring. "Thank you so much for your company today, Hina."

          "Thank you for letting me tag along," Celina replied. She turned to enter the Middle Ring but paused and turned back to Iroh. "Hey, Mushi, … what's his name?"

          Iroh gave her a sad smile, knowing exactly who she was referring to. "Lu Ten," he answered.

          Celina nodded and wished Iroh a goodnight before the two finally parted. Iroh casually made his way back to his home while Celina sprinted off towards the university to change back into her normal clothes so that she could return home. After being there with Iroh while he mourned his son it just made her want to spend time with her parents.

* * *

 

**The Tale of Zuko**

          The next day Celina headed back to the Lower Ring to continue her search for Appa. Spending the day with Iroh yesterday helped her learned part of the Lower Ring's layout but there was still way more for her to learn if she was going to find out where Appa might be. This time she brought a bit of money with her so that she could stop for lunch and possibly dinner. Iroh had been kind enough to share some food with her but she was expecting to be on her own today. That turned out to be a good plan as her stomach started growling when the sun was high in the sky. Stopping at one of the stalls Celina bought herself some bean curd puffs and found a bench to sit on while she enjoyed her lunch.

          As she ate Celina couldn't help but notice a young boy around her age sneaking glances at her from his workstation at one of the stalls selling fried dough. When she caught him looking over at one point she gave the boy a smile which made him blush and quickly look away. Celina just chuckled, remembering when she was that shy and continued with her meal. When she finished Celina got up from the bench and was about to look for a trash bin to toss her garbage when the boy got the courage to run up to her.

          "Hi," he greeted.

          "Hi," Celina echoed.

          "I'm Ryoma," the boy introduced.

          "Hina," she replied.

          "That's a pretty name. Pretty name for a pretty girl. Wait, that's not what I meant to say. Not that I think you're ugly. You're really beautiful. I just didn't want to start out commenting on your appearance. You probably have way more to you than that. And now I'm just rambling. I'm sorry. I'll just gonna go feed myself to a saber-tooth moose lion," Ryoma rambled nervously.

          Celina chuckled and pulled the boy back. "I wouldn't suggest that. Besides you were fine. I found it a bit cute actually," she told him. She saw Ryoma's cheeks turn red and him gulp. "Plus, a sincere compliment is always nice. Thank you for that."

          "You're welcome," Ryoma replied before taking a moment to compose himself. "I haven't seen you around here before."

          "I just got here yesterday," Celina answered. It wasn't a lie, she did just start exploring that Lower Ring yesterday, but Ryoma didn't have to know that.

          "A refugee?" he asked.

          "Yes," Celina lied, sighing and looking away making it look like talking about it was painful.

          "I'm sorry," Ryoma apologized.

          "It's not your fault. And at least my family and I are safe now that we're here," Celina replied.

          "Well from what I've seen you're doing really well adjusting," Ryoma complemented.

          "Thank you, though I'm still trying to learn my way around," she said.

          When Ryoma first approached her Celina was thinking about how to get out of the conversation as she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Then she thought that perhaps she could take advantage of a local to help show her around more. Iroh did a good job but having a local show her around would open her up to more secret spots. And she just gave him the opening to step up and be her knight.

          "Well, if you want. I can show you around after I get off work. But only if you want to!" Ryoma offered.

          "That sounds great," Celina chuckled.

          "Great! I get off at night so just met me back here around then," Ryoma told her.

          "It's a date," Celina smiled.

          "Ye... yeah, it's a date," he stuttered, a bit flustered.

          Celina waved goodbye to him as Ryoma headed back to work. He waved back before turning away and celebrating the fact that he got a date. She just shook her head in amusement and went on her search for a trash bin. She had quite a bit of time to explore on her own before it was time to meet Ryoma.

          Hours passed, and Celina managed to make her way back to where Ryoma's food stall was. She was a bit tired after walking around all day but made herself wake up a bit for her date. This is where she'd hopefully learn more secrets of the Lower Ring. Ryoma was easy to spot, especially since he was keeping his eye out for her.

          "Hina, hi!" Ryoma greeted. "I'm so happy you managed to find the place."

          "Well I was around here just a few hours ago," Celina teased.

          "Oh, right," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I managed to grab us some fried dough from the stand for dessert."

          "Dessert?" Celina questioned.

          "Yeah, I was thinking that the two of us could go get something to eat before I show you around. Unless you don't want to of course," he explained but quickly backpedaled in case she wasn't okay with that.

          "Dinner sounds great," she smiled.

          "Great! I mean... great. I know this restaurant close by that has amazing outside seating which is perfect for people watching. Plus, the food is really good," Ryoma told her.

          "Then lead the way," she encouraged.

          It didn't take long for them to arrive at the restaurant and were seated relatively quickly considering most people wanted to dine inside. They placed their tea orders, Celina going with a calming blend to help keep herself in check, while Ryoma went with simple green tea. After the waiter brought them out Ryoma order a variety of food for the two of them. As they waited Celina danced around questions that Ryoma asked her, ones about her family and if she was a bender or not. After all, the less this guy knew about her the better. Luckily once their food arrived the conversation ended as the two stuffed their mouths. Tucking into a bowl of noodles that made her a bit nostalgic for the seaweed noodles from back in the South Pole everyone around them paused as a patron shouted.

          "She's not my girlfriend!" a young man shouted at a waiter.

          Looking over to see the cause of the outburst Celina's eye's widened when she saw that the source came from none other than Zuko. It shouldn't have surprised her to see him there. Talking with Iroh yesterday Celina knew that he would be here in Ba Sing Se with his uncle, but she never expected to see him so soon. And he was out on a date of all things.

          "Wow, that's an awful thing to announce to the whole restaurant," Ryoma commented. "I feel bad for his date."

          "Yeah...," Celina slowly agreed.

          Celina sneakily tried to ease drop on Zuko's date while she ate, enjoying her noodles just like his date was with her own bowl, though at a more vigorous rate.

          "You have... quite an appetite for a girl," Zuko commented, causing Celina to roll her eyes.

          "Smart move," she thought sarcastically.

          "Um, thanks. So, Lee, where were you and your Uncle living before you came here?" the girl asked.

          "Um, well, we've been traveling around for a long time," he answered.

          "Oh! Why were you traveling so much?" the girl continued to question.

          "We were, uh, a part of this traveling circus," Zuko lied.

          The noodles threatened to shoot out of Celina's nose. His lie was so ridiculous she was having a hard time hiding her laughter.

          "Something funny?" Ryoma asked her, curious to find out why she was laughing.

          "Just remembered something funny my brother did the last time we ate noodles," she lied and then leaned in close to Ryoma to solidify the lie. "He accidentally slipped and caused his bowl to land upside down on his head. Looked a bit like a squid, especially with his mouth opening and closing in surprise."

          This tidbit caused Ryoma to chuckle himself. He went to tell a funny story about his life when he was interrupted by the crashing for dishes. Looking at the source Celina wasn't surprised this time when she saw the source to once again be Zuko.

          "I haven't practiced for a while," Zuko told his date embarrassed.

          And this was the reason Celina laughed when Zuko told his date his made-up backstory. When making up a backstory it had to be realistic, something people wouldn't question you about or if they did you could rattle out more information to make it seem sound. When Ryoma asked about her family Celina told him that her family used to live along the coast, that her father fixed fishing boats, and that she really missed the ocean after being away from it for so long. While part of that wasn't true, two-thirds of that statement wasn't false. She did grow up on the coast and she did miss the ocean. She was a waterbender after all. Plus, living in the Southern Water Tribe where boats and fishing were big things so rattling of information on them wouldn't be difficult.

          Ryoma and Celina's dinner came to an end and the two left, nibbling on the fried dough that Ryoma brought for dessert. As they ate Ryoma lead her through the streets, pointing out the different shops and residences. When their treats were gone is when he decided to show her to some of the secret corners of the Lower Ring.

          "I know you said you missed the ocean and while I can't take you there I can take you to another place that has water. It's called the Firelight Fountain, one of the rare beauties we have down here. Mom says it's where Dad proposed…. Not that I'm taking you there to propose! I barely know you!" Ryoma explained, backpedaling when he thought he said something that would freak her out.

          "I would hope not," Celina teased, causing Ryoma to slightly turn into a blubbering mess, trying and fail to form words.

          When they reached the Firelight Fountain, Celina's eyes shone. She could see why this place would be a good spot to propose it was beautiful. There was a huge fountain with candle stands surrounding it and floating candles in the water. With all of the candles lit, their flames dance along the water, beautiful illuminating the area. Celina would have loved to go take in more of the area, but she spotted a couple there already having a moment to themselves. And with her luck, it was once again Zuko and his date. Celina and Ryoma paused near the entrance, Ryoma not wanting to awkwardly intrude while Celina didn't want to be seen by Zuko. Still, they hung around in case the two decided to leave. Once again Celina decided to ease drop on their conversation.

          "I brought you something. It's a coupon for a free cup of tea," Zuko told his date, holding up a piece of paper.

          "Lee, this is so sweet," his date smiled, taking the coupon.

          "Don't thank me. It was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer," Zuko said.

          "You Uncle is a good teacher. I have something for you too. Now it's your turn to close your eyes," his date told him. Zuko complied, and what he got was a kiss from his date. As the kiss deepened Celina and Ryoma snuck away from the Firelight Fountain.

          "I'm sorry you didn't get to see the fountain properly," Ryoma apologized.

          "It's fine. I can always head there another day," Celina brushed off.

          "Yeah but I wish I could show you another place with water since you miss it so much," Ryoma frowned. There was a pause in his speech for a moment as he mulled over a conflicting thought. Celina saw a brief moment of confidence once Ryoma made his decision. "But maybe I still can… Follow me and try to be quiet once we get there."

          Ryoma grabbed hold of Celina's had and ran through the streets of the Lower Ring, heading towards their next destination.

          "Where is there?" Celina asked confused.

          "Lake Laogai. It's not exactly in the Lower Ring but the citizens have kinda of adopted it as their own considering how close it is, People typically head there during their day's off for a nice swim but at night it's an unspoken rule that we don't go there. The Di Lee tend to make appearances around the lake at night. But there is a chance they won't be there," Ryoma explained.

          Celina tensed a bit hearing that Ryoma was taking her to a place where the Di Lee might be. She wasn't trying to draw any attention while she was down in the Lower Ring and having the Di Lee spot her would be bad. However, the reason she was down here was to find out more information on Appa and if the Di Lee often gathered at the Lake then maybe there was something more to this Lake Laogai than even the locals knew about.

          Making it past the wall separating the Agrarian Zone where all the farms were located he lead her towards Lake Laogai. Ryoma didn't directly take her to the lake shore but to a tree that overlooked the lake. It was a pretty large body of water living within the tight walls of Ba Sing Se. Ryoma's instinct to bring Celina to a tree overlooking the lake was correct as a few moments after the two spotted several Di Lee agents approaching the lake shore. His fight or flight instinct kicked in and Ryoma grabbed Celina's hand yet again and dragged her away from the lake back towards to the Lower Ring. Celina looked back at one point for one last glimpse of the lake and what she saw was that the Di Lee Agents had disappeared.

          The date ended almost immediately once Ryoma and Celina got back inside the Lower Ring. Ryoma was visibly shaken which led Celina to suggest that he head home and relax. He didn't argue and silently headed home, leaving Celina to deal with things herself. She made a mental note to try and avoid Ryoma on her next trip to the Lower Ring to avoid any awkwardness.

* * *

 

**The Tale of Celina**

          The Spirit World had become a brief escape from reality, one Celina would journey off to whenever she fell asleep. Arriving at her parent's temple she knew she would be welcomed and safe and loved by her parents or her lover. But tonight was going to be different. Celina was going off on her own, determined to face her most recent problem. So, she waved Bitten off after a welcome kiss on the check and sent him off to inform her parents that she'd be spending some alone time in the garden and would appreciate it if no one bothered her. Bitten didn't probe her with questions, having a hunch of what brought this on, and headed off to do what Celina asked of him.

          Passing followers paused to watch the daughter of their Master and Mistress heading into the depths of the garden by herself. It was an unspoken rule to let those who wander in by themselves be. Those who went in alone often wanted to be alone with their thoughts, and the temple's family was no exception. Venturing through the lush greenery, Celina took the familiar pathways Bitten had shown her before breaking away into the deeper section no one could ever learn. The spirits there believed that the garden was never ending even though they knew the island the temple resided on held the garden in its borders. Heading past the hidden corners and known pathways close to the temple, one's sense of direction was lost to the flowering hedges. Once would walk for miles and not reach the other end. There was no fear of getting lost, however, as once a spirit wished to return home they always managed to find their way back to their starting point. For those who wanted to think the deeper garden was the best place. So, Celina continued walking until she came to a small clearing. Deciding that this place would do she sat down in the center of the clearing, took a deep breath, and looked into herself.

          Closing her eyes, the garden's foliage was replaced with a blanket of stars all around her. Beneath her feet where she now stood was a glowing path which split and led to two glowing orbs. Celina turned her attention to the one at the end of the left pathway, walking towards it. The orb was fairly large but comforting. It sang songs of waves crashing on the shore and smelled like the salt of the sea. Her control over water greeted her like an old friend. Celina smiled at the source of power before turning back and headed down the right pathway.

          The orb at the end of this path was engorged and menacing, towering over Celina. It radiated pure energy, booming of lust and anger and passion. This was her spirit abilities, her energybending, the one that had been giving Celina some problems. The orb wished that she would go away, urging her to head back to the start so that it could continue to hold its power but she didn't budge. Instead, she stood her ground, determined to confront it.

          "You seem to believe that you're the one in charge, the one who gets to mess with my emotions since you've been unlocked. Well, I'm tired of drugging myself to deal with the anger you've been inflicting on me. It's time you learn who the one in control truly is," Celina spoke up.

          The orb cried, screaming like a toddler having a temper tantrum and tried to use the atmosphere around it to push Celina away, to stop whatever she was about to do. But it was met with an invisible wall of willpower as Celina pushed her own energy back at it. The orb struggled against it, trying to break free as her willpower crept closer.

          "This is my body. No one will have control over it except for me!" Celina exclaimed.

          The orb let out a terrified shriek as Celina's willpower overtook it, wrapping itself around the orb. The orb emitted a blinding light, causing Celina to look away. When its light dimmed back down Celina looked back to see that the spirit orb shrunk down to the size of the water orb. Warm, comforting, yet powerful energy radiated from it while the orb cooed of passion. Celina let out a sigh of relief, seeing that she had gained control back over her body by showing the young power who was the boss. Walking back down the pathway to the start, Celina closed her eyes once more and when she opened them she was back in the garden.

          With her inner turmoil at peace, Celina got up and made her way out of the garden. That task was done but there was one more thing Celina had to do before the night was over. Once she was out of the garden Celina made her way towards the entrance of the temple where she had been only but once before when she was brought to the temple. It was going to be weird leaving the temple and exploring more of the Spirit World, but it was necessary for what she wanted to do. That is if the second part of her plan allowed it.

          "Fang? If it wouldn't trouble you, can you help me?" Celina called out into the air. She stood there for a while, wondering if the dragon actually heard her and if he did would he even respond. After waiting a while she was about to head back inside but stopped when the red dragon landed in front of her. "Fang, thank you for coming. Can you take me to The Veil of Souls, please?"

          Fang nodded in response, accepting her request and knelt down so that it would be easier for her to climb on his back. Once she was on, Fang took off heading towards the Veil of Souls. It was a place that Celina just learned about after talking with her parents a night or so ago. Curiosity had gotten the better of her and she asked if there was a place in the Spirit World where humans went after they died. She received two responses. One was called The Fog of Lost Souls which was a prison for humans, driving them into madness by trapping them within their darkest memory. A lot of people who earned spirits wrath often ended up there. Celina could already picture Zhao wandering around aimlessly in madness. She had to admit, it felt good knowing that's where he ended up. The second place was called The Veil of Souls. It was a peaceful place where most humans went when they died. Celina hoped that the soul she was looking for would be found there. When Fang arrived, Celina noticed that The Veil of Souls stood in between two columns and was closed off by veils of silk curtains. Fang waited off to the side as Celina approached the curtains.

          "I would like to speak with Lu Ten, Prince of the Fire Nation," she said to the veil. A breeze flowed through the still curtains and in a moment a young man pushed the curtains asides and stepped out of the Veils, standing between the pillars. He looked exactly like the picture Iroh had.

          "It is an honor to be called upon by you, Spirit, though I'm not sure I deserve it," Lu Ten greeted her.

          "I'll decide that or not," Celina replied.

          "Of course. Might I ask the reason you call upon me?" Lu Ten asked.

          "I wanted to talk to you about someone we both know. He's been going through some things lately and I believe a nice message from you will do him some good. But firstly… happy belated birthday," Celina told him with a soft smile.

* * *


	15. Lake Laogai

          Celina sat on a couch in their house, drinking tea and watching as Sokka tried over and over again to draw Appa. While she didn't need to drink tea anymore to help calm herself down having at least a cup every day made her develop a taste for good tea. She wished that she could visit the tea shop that Iroh worked at for a cup but decided against it until she knew Zuko's work schedule. It would be best to avoid the Fire Prince still. The peace that had fallen in the living room was disrupted as Katara and Aang rushed through the door.

          "We found a printer to make our posters," Katara told him, holding up a poster with a professionally drawn portrait of Appa. On it contained information about Appa along with who to contact in case someone had information.

          "Those look great," Celina smiled.

          "Hey, I thought designing the lost Appa poster was my job. I've been working all day on my Appa," Sokka said, showing everyone the drawing that he'd been working on. It was crude, but Celina gave her brother a small smile, knowing how much effort he put into working on the drawings. Katara and Aang didn't think as much.

          "Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head," Aang told him perplexed.

          "This is his head," Sokka pointed out.

          "Why are feet coming out of it?" Katara questioned.

          "Those are his horns! I haven't seen him in a while," Sokka replied, a bit ashamed of his drawing hearing their critics.

          "It looks just like him to me," Toph pipped in.

          "Thank you, I worked really… Why do you feel the need to do that?" Sokka asked realizing that Toph couldn't see the drawing since she was blind.

          "Let's just stick with the professional version," Katara said.

          "I'll take some and post them in the Lower Ring. I've been down there a few times and know a few people who will happily take the posters," Celina offered.

          "How have you managed to get down to the Lower Ring without the Dai Li noticing?" Sokka asked.

          "I have my ways," Celina smirked.

          "Great! Then let's get busy!" Aang exclaimed excited.

* * *

          Celina quickly headed over to her secret spot and changed into her disguise before heading down to the Lower Ring with the missing posters. The main reason she volunteered to take care of the Lower Ring was that she could strategically place the posters away from where Zuko could see them. Plus, handing them out to show owners was safer than pasting them up on bulletin boards and walls. Celina hit up that marketplace first handing the posters out to all the shop owners before heading to the other establishments that she'd been to like the restaurant that Ryoma took her to on their date. Speaking of the young man, when she headed to his food cart to drop off a poster he flinched upon seeing her.

          "Hello, Ryoma," she greeted him.

          "Hhh…hiii," he stuttered.

          "Is something wrong?" Celina asked.

          "I'm just a little shaken up from our… trip," he answered, looking around nervously to make sure that no Di Li were around to hear him.

          "I'm really sorry. It's all my fault we went there, to begin with," Celina apologized.

          "No, no! It's not your fault so don't blame yourself. After all, it was my idea. I just wish my nerves didn't ruin our date. I wish I could make it up to you," Ryoma said.

          "Maybe you can," Celina said, transitioning into why she came back to the cart in the first place. She pulled out a poster from her pouch of them and handed it to Ryoma. "Do you think you can keep an eye out for any info on this missing bison."

          "This is the Avatar's bison. Do you know the Avatar?" Ryoma asked amazed.

          "Just as much as any other normal person does," Celina lied. "I got a job at a print shop and was assigned to pass out these missing posters. Still, if you find anything out can you tell me? I'm sure that I can get a message to him since I work at the shop."

          "Of course, anything to help out the Avatar," Ryoma agreed.

          "Thanks, Ryoma. Well, I better get back to handing out these posters," Celina said, waving goodbye to the boy.

          She continued on through the Lower Ring with her posters. So many of the citizens living there were all for trying to help find Appa, most of them hating the Di Li more than they feared the police. Things were going pretty smoothly when Celina was forced to hide in an alleyway, seeing Zuko walk out of a tea shop. She watched him walk away before taking the chance and heading inside. With Zuko gone, Celina could talk to Iroh without worrying about him overhearing. The tea shop was practically full. Though knowing Iroh and how much he cared about tea that wasn't surprising. Celina looked around and found the older man up at the counter, happily brewing tea. She hurried over before he got more customers asking for tea.

          "Mushi!" Celina exclaimed.

          "Hina! What a pleasant surprise, I wasn't sure I'd ever see you in here," Iroh smiled, remembering Celina's fake name.

          "Well the opportunity came, or should I say left," Celina said, sneaking a peek back at the front door. Iroh nodded, understanding what she was talking about. "I kinda need to talk to you… in private."

          "Alright, come on back," Iroh replied.

          Celina slipped behind the counter and followed Iroh back into the kitchen. The wall was thin between the kitchen and the counter, so they'd have to be quiet but at least they had a bit of privacy. Taking out a poster Celina showed it to Iroh.

          "Our bison's been missing for a while, but we've only been able to start looking for him now. He's somewhere here in Ba Sing Se but I think the Di Li might be trying to hide him from us. I have an idea where they might be hiding him though. Have you heard anything about Lake Laogai?" Celina asked.

          "It a popular tourist attraction for the people in the Lower Ring. Though come night suspicious things happen. I overheard a customer say that they were a little late leaving the lake and the Dai Li hurriedly escorted them back to the Lower Ring. They got a glimpse of a cart that was being driven towards the Lake but are afraid to say what they heard coming from inside it," Iroh told her.

          "That strengthens my suspicion. Now I just need to find their entrance," Celina said.

          "Just be careful, my dear," Iroh warned.

          "I will. I have a few tricks up my sleeves that I'll use if I have to," Celina assured him. "Thank you, Iroh. I should get going before Zuko returns."

          "Good idea, and good luck," Iroh wished.

          After their goodbye, Celina peaked out into the shop to make sure that Zuko wasn't there before heading out. She needed to make her way back towards the house so that she could tell the others about what she learned. They had a limited time to act. With the missing poster's out, Celina was sure that Long Feng and the Dai Li would try to stop them from finding Appa. They just needed to act before that happened.

* * *

          Heading to the Middle Ring to change took up more time than Celina would have wanted. It was an important transition point so that her disguise worked as efficiently as possible. But it took up a good portion of her time. By the time she made it back to the house, it was close to sunset. Celina wasn't able to find the rest of the gang though, all she managed to find was a massive hole in the wall. Fear rose up in her throat, praying that Toph was the only responsible for the hole and not the Dai Li.

          "No, they'd want to keep things quiet if they captured them. And this hole is nothing but quiet. It practically screams Toph," Celina deduced. Still, it was enough to make her worry.

          Seeing that their time was shortened Celina decided that it was best for her to head back to the Lower Ring so that she could hopefully capture a Dai Li agent and make him show her where Appa was. This time on her trip down Celina skipped over the disguise, knowing that it would take up more time. It was a good choice as once she got to the Lower Ring, night had fallen.

* * *

          Zuko slinked through the shadows in his Blue Spirit getup. With news that the Avatar was here and was looking for his bison gave him a bit of hope. He could capture the Avatar and then no more serving tea, no more living in this damn city. He could go back home and be treated like the prince he was. All he needed to do was get one of the Dai Li agents to tell him where the bison was. They were suspicious enough that the firebender was sure that they knew something. So, he took to the emptier part of the Lower Ring, creating a plan to get a Dai Li agent. His attention was drawn away by a glimpse of blue sneaking around the empty alleyways. Deciding to investigate, Zuko followed after it and discovered the source to be the waterbender that he'd grown fond of.

          "Come on, where's a Dai Li agent when you need one? I'm running out of time," he heard her mutter frustrated.

          Zuko paused, conflicted about what he should do. Celina chose for him however as when she went to go down the street she spotted him. "It's you," she gasped. Seeing that Celina spotted him Zuko was about to run but stopped hearing her next words. "No, wait! Please! I could use your help."

          He looked at her confused. Why would she be asking for his help? Then realization set it. She didn't know that he was the Blue Spirit. Celina still knew him as the person who helped the Avatar escape from Zhao back in the winter. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. She was probably out here looking for the bison, the same mission that he was on. Teaming up with her seemed to be a good idea, especially knowing how powerful the girl was. Plus, it would also mean that he'd get to spend some one on one time with the waterbender. He'd been dreaming about her and one of the features that always stood out in his dreams was her smile. Be it soft or big it always made his stomach flutter. He hoped that maybe he could see a real one from her now. All he needed to do was stay quiet so that she didn't recognize that it was him. So Zuko simply nodded for her to go on.

          "Our bison has been taken. I think I know where he's being hidden but there'll be plenty of Dai Li agents standing in the way. I know it's a lot to ask but knowing what you went through to help Aang… Seeing you here I just thought I'd ask. So, will you help me?" Celina asked. Zuko nodded in response, accepting her request. What he got was her smile, it was a soft smile which was even better than the ones he dreamed about. It his stomach flutter. He couldn't imagine what a big smile of hers would make him feel but wanted to find out all the same. "Thank you! One thing we'll need is a Dai Li agent to get us into their secret hideout underneath Lake Laogai."

          Zuko motioned for Celina to follow him to the alleyway where he'd been setting up a dummy of himself which he planned to use to capture a Dai Li agent for himself. Celina seemed confused, but it was clear to her that he had a plan. "It looks like you're a few steps ahead of me," Celina commented.

          Another nod. Their one-sided conversation ended when the both of them heard footsteps walking down the street. Zuko raised his finger to his masked lips to tell Celina to be quiet before taking her by the hand and leading her over to a wall. He motioned that he wanted her to go up onto the roof of a building before forming a stepping point with his hands. Celina gave him a quick nod and with his help climbed up. With her hidden up there, Zuko went to work luring who he assumed to be a Dai Li agent.

          He was correct in assuming who the footsteps belonged to. Setting his plan in motion Zuko took some back alleys to get on the correct side of the agent before running past him, purposely bumping into the man's shoulder. Knowing it would be enough to cause the Dai Li agent to follow after him Zuko ran down the alley. He went to climb up onto the same roof that Celina was on. Celina lent him a hand up and together they watched as the Dai Li agent ran into the alley and spotted the dummy that Zuko set up. Zuko saw Celina scowl at the agent as he gleefully punched a hole through the dummy using his earthbending, causing its head to fall off in the process. When Zuko noticed that the Dai Li agent was confused seeing that what he attacked was a dummy, he jumped down from the roof and drew his Dao swords to the man's throat. Seeing that Zuko captured an agent Celina jumped down to dish out her commands.

          "If you don't want to end up like him, you'll do what we say," she threatened, referring to the damaged dummy.

          "Yes ma'am," the Dai Li agent whimpered.

          "You're gonna take us to Lake Laogai and show us the entrance of where you've been keeping the Avatar's flying bison," Celina told him. Her voice was demanding and the look in her eyes was serious. She gave the man a look that said she wasn't afraid to kill him if he stepped out of line.

          "Yes ma'am," the agent repeated.

          Drawing water from her pouch, Celina waterbended the man's hand's behind him and froze them in handcuffs so that he couldn't use his bending to try and escape. She then sent Zuko a look, telling him to lay up enough so that the man could walk which he obeyed.

          "Let's go."

* * *

          Zuko kept a firm eye on the agent as they made their way to Lake Laogai, keeping a sword pointed at the man's back in case he tried anything. There was no way he was going to let him escape when they were so close to the bison. Plus, he didn't want the man hurting Celina. Once they came to the lake Celina let the agent lead the way to where the secret passageway was.

          "I'll need to earthbend for us to get in," the agent informed them.

          Celina used her bending to remove the man's restraints but used the water to turn it into an ice dagger that she pointed right at him. "No funny business," she warned.

          Nervous from the three sharp objects being pointed at him the Dai Li agent earthbended up a passage that led partially into the water. Turning her dagger back into water Celina restrained the Dai Li agent's hands yet again. The three headed towards the opening but Celina stopped them before they went in.

          "Are there any guards on the other side?" Celina asked.

          "No. We're the only ones who know about this place. There's no need for guards to be stationed at the entrance," the agent answered.

          Satisfied with his answer Celina opened up the entrance and headed inside the secret hideout. Zuko used one of his swords to point the Dai Li agent to go in before he did. The underground hideout was immense with tall ceilinged hallways heading off in different directions. The two got the agent to take them to an empty room before Celina questioned him further.

          "Now tell us, which cell is the Avatar's bison being held in," she demanded.

          "It's the largest one down the eastern hallway. The door has XX marked on it," the agent told her.

          "You better be right. Otherwise, I won't be as kind the second time," Celina warned.

          "The second time?" the agent asked confused.

          Deciding that she didn't need any more information from him Celina hit the man in the back of the head hard, knocking him unconscious. Zuko just stood back and watched, impressed that she was a strong fighter outside of her bending. He was a bit confused when Celina started to rearrange the man's body but quickly figured out what she was doing once the positioning was done. She'd made it look like the Dai Li agent simply fell asleep just in case another agent came across him.

          "Best not to cause too much alarm while we're here," Celina said to him. Zuko nodded in agreement, impressed yet again by her thinking.

          The two headed out of the room and down the eastern hallway, on the search for the room marked by two Xs. The atmosphere was tense as the two traversed the hideout, ready to fight in case they had to. Occasionally, Zuko would catch Celina looking over at him. After the fifth time she did so Celina spoke up.

          "I've been taking down all your wanted posters, you know," she told him, keeping her voice down. "It's probably not much, but I wanted to do something after what you did for Aang. Something to thank you."

          Zuko's heart soared for a second, hearing that she would do something so kind for him. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot. Then he remembered who Celina thought she was talking to. She was talking about taking down the Blue Spirit's wanted posters, not Zuko's. She'd been taking down the wanted posters of the man who she thought saved Aang not for selfish purposes but for the greater good of the world. He was envious of that side who earned Celina's kindness. Said girl pulled him out of his thoughts, however, when she grabbed hold of his arm, causing him to come to a stop right outside a room.

          "I think this might be it," she said. Zuko looked over at the door she was referring to and sure enough, it had the XX marking it. Now they just needed to see if the Dai Li agent had been truthful or not.

          Celina slowly slid the door open, allowing light to spill into the darkened chamber. Zuko heard her let out a gasp when they looked inside and discovered Appa sitting in the back corner of the room where it looked like a waterfall was, chained to the floor. The bison let out a low moan which quickly became a happy grumble when he spotted Celina.

          "Appa!" Celina exclaimed. Zuko caught a few tears in her eyes before Celina ran off towards the bison. Reunited, Celina hugged the bison's face who eagerly nuzzled into her. "I'm here, buddy."

          Walking into the room after her Zuko slid the door closed and watched as Celina started to hum, gently stroking the sky bison's fur like she was calming the animal. Zuko just stood there conflicted. His intentions coming down here was to capture the bison so that he could use the animal to capture the Avatar. But having spent his time getting down here with Celina and seeing how emotional she was when reunited with the bison, was making him rethink that plan. Not that long ago he was worried about the Dai Li agent hurting Celina yet if he captured the bison then he would actively be hurting her. Once again, the waterbender was throwing a wrench into his destiny.

          The sound of the door opening behind them caused both Zuko and Celina to turn around to see who had come in. Both teens were surprised to see that it wasn't a Dai Li agent but Iroh.

          "Iroh?" Celina questioned, confused as to why the old man would be here. But simply glanced at her before turning his full attention to Zuko.

          "So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind the mask?" Iroh contemplated, obviously already knowing the answer.

          Zuko let out a sigh and removed his mask. There was no point in trying to hide it anymore since his uncle would have revealed it to Celina anyway. The girl's eyes widened in surprise and confusion once she saw that it was him. Zuko couldn't look at her, the feeling of shame and embarrassment creeping up inside him if he did so.

          "What are you doing here?" Zuko asked his uncle.

          "I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked up in our apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?" Iroh questioned.

          "You teamed up with me, just so you could steal Appa?" Celina asked hurt.

          "No… Yes… I…" Zuko admitted and wanted to defend himself to Celina, explain that he was conflicted over doing it anymore but Iroh wouldn't let him.

          "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!" Iroh scolded him.

          "I would have figured something out!" Zuko replied heatedly, angered by his uncle bringing up his failure at the North Pole.

          "No! If he and his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death! And what do you think would have happened if you tried to take the bison from Celina. We both got a glimpse of how powerful she is back at the North Pole. She could have killed you before you would have gotten an inch out of here," Iroh shouted at him. Zuko couldn't help but flinch remembering what she did to Zhao.

          "I know my own destiny, uncle," Zuko said, though it didn't come out as confident as he wanted it to, something Celina picked up on.

          "Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you? I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want?" Iroh challenged.

          Zuko turned to look at Celina who stood in front of the bison, partially shielding it from him. He wanted to have both the Avatar and Celina but knew that was impossible. And from the look she was giving him right now, he was starting to lean towards wanting the one more than the other.

          "Zuko," Celina spoke softly. A pleasant tingle went down his spine as he heard her say his name, liking the way it sounded on her lips. "Don't do this. Our partnership tonight was great, and I want it to continue to be that way. So, don't throw it away for a battle you won't win. I don't want to fight you Zuko, not anymore, not after our faceoff with Azula. So please don't make me."

          He felt their eyes on him, waiting to see what he would do. His body shook a little, overwhelmed by everything. Taking a deep breath Zuko looked Celina in the eye for the first time since he took off the Blue Spirit mask, taking in her blue irises for a moment before looking at the chains that held the bison to the ground.

          "You're gonna need some help removing the chains," Zuko said.

          Iroh and Celina watched as he went over to one side of the bison's chains and used a combination of firebending and his swords to break them. The bison roared in fear seeing the fire so close to him. Celina quickly went to comfort the animal, humming softly. Zuko took note and made sure to reduce the size of his flame going forward. When he finished with both sides of chains he went to go talk to Celina who was staring at him.

          "He's not anchored to the ground anymore but he's gonna be more comfortable once the cuffs are off. I've done what I can since I don't want to accidentally burn the bison. You're gonna have to remove the cuffs…"

          But Zuko didn't get to finish as Celina surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. Zuko stood there in shock not knowing how to respond to something that he's only dreamed of before.

          "It's nice to see the good in you," she whispered.

          When she pulled away Zuko got what he wanted. A big smile from Celina. And this time it was all his, not one for the Blue Spirit but one for himself. He felt himself melt, seeing it. Celina ran off to remove the cuffs from the bison, using her waterbending to break the lock system. Zuko watched her in a bit of a daze when he felt his uncle clap a hand of approval on his shoulder, proud of the choice his nephew made. The bison let out a pleased roar when the last cuff fell off, finally freed. Thankful for what he'd done, the bison walked over and licked Zuko in thanks. Zuko groaned in response. Celina climbed up onto the bison, sitting in the driver's position that Zuko seen the Avatar sit plenty of times before.

          "You two want a ride out of here?" she asked.

          "That's very kind of you," Iroh replied and began to climb up onto the bison's back. Seeing that his uncle decided to go with Celina, Zuko climbed up onto the bison and took a seat on its back.

          "Anything for those who helped me save Appa," Celina replied, giving Iroh and Zuko a small smile. "Make sure you hold on tight. This is gonna be a bumpy ride. Appa, Yip Yip."

          Zuko and Iroh's grip on the bison's fur tightened as the animal started to fly towards the waterfall. Celina instantly started waterbending, bending the water so that it didn't touch the bison or his passengers. Inside the waterfall, the bison flew upwards towards its source which was the lake. Zuko was amazed going through the water while being surrounded by an air bubble thanks to Celina's bending. There was almost a peaceful feeling being so far under the water without worrying about drowning. He wondered if Celina would do this often seeing as water was her element. They didn't stay down there for long though, the bison speeding through the water and back to the surface. Celina made sure that there wasn't that much of a splash with her waterbending, not wanting to alert anyone. The morning rays of the sun shone down on them as Celina dropped Zuko and Iroh off on the shore.

          "Thank you for the ride," Iroh thanked.

          "Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll visit you more often now. I have developed quite a taste for tea," Celina replied, causing Iroh to chuckle. Zuko rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smirk a bit. "I should get going. I need to find my friends and family. A reunion is definitely in order."

          "Of course," Iroh nodded.

          Right before she left though, Celina turned to Zuko. "Oh, and Zuko, I've been taking down your wanted posters as well," she told him. He blushed in response and just stood there, watching as she flew off. Once she was out of sight, Zuko looked down at the Blue Spirit mask in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he looked back to where Celina flew off and threw the mask into the water, deciding that he didn't need to hide behind the mask anymore.

* * *

          Celina was flying Appa towards the house, but the bison suddenly turned around back towards the lake. She was confused as to why he was doing this but let him continue, figuring that it probably had to deal with Aang. That suspicion was partially confirmed as Momo appeared, flying up from the lake shore below. Looking down she saw her friends and family boxed in by some Dai Li agents and Long Feng. Celina's anger silently bubbled up to the surface seeing Long Feng again but this time she was the one in control.

          "Let's go get a bit of revenge," Celina said.

          Appa and Celina hurtled down towards them with Momo flying right next to them. The rest of the Gaang looked up at them in delight, seeing the return of their large furry friend. After making their entrance, Appa swooped down and smashed through the two walls that the Dai Li created. Celina grabbed some water from the lake to grab hold of the falling agents and tossed them into the lake. Aang and Toph jumped into the fray with the playing field a bit leveled. The two used their earthbending to toss several agents into the water as well. Now all that was left was Long Feng. Appa and Celina landed right in front of him, growling at the man.

          "Looks like the pretty flower found her beast," Celina mocked Long Feng.

          "Doesn't matter. I can handle you by myself," he replied.

          Long Feng launched a kick at Appa who caught his leg in his teeth. And then with a mighty toss, Appa sent Long Feng skipping across Lake Laogai like a stone. Celina smirked when Long Feng disappeared with a splash and full out laughed when Appa spit out Long Feng's shoe. Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Aang ran over to Appa and threw themselves at him in a hug.

          "Yeah! Appa!" Sokka exclaimed.

          "I missed you, buddy," Aang said, crying into Appa's fur.

          The Gaang just took in the moment, not wanting to interrupt their peaceful, emotional reunion with their bison friend.


	16. The Earth King

          The Water Tribe siblings and Toph let Aang have more of a moment with Appa. They'd been separated for so long they deserved some time together. Besides, it allowed for them to update Celina on what happened when they were down there. Katara told her about the situation with Jet but it was a glance at Toph that told her what was really happening with Jet. She might not have liked Jet all that much but the sad denial on Katara's face made Celina wish that she could have done something to help, even if it was a mercy killing. Sokka didn't linger on the topic but instead turned to plan, his confidence boosted by the events of the past hour.

          "Look, we escaped from the Dai Li, we got Appa back, I'm telling you, we should go to the Earth King now and tell him our plan. We're on a roll," he said.

          "One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll," Katara criticized.

          "We can build on it. If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we need the Earth King's support," Sokka argued.

          "What makes you think we'll get in?" Toph questioned. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things don't usually go that smoothly for our little gang."

          "I know, but I've got a good feeling about this. This time will be different," Sokka tried to assure them.

          "Sokka, Long Feng is in control of the city. His conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us," Katara reminded him unconvinced.

          "I'm with Sweetness. I've seen enough of Ba Sing Se and I can't even see!" Toph exclaimed.

          "But now that we have Appa, Long Feng has nothing to control us. And with all the dirt we have on him if we alert the Earth King it can really start a change that this city really needs. The time for tiptoeing has passed. It's time we go on the offensive and get things done," Celina argued for Sokka's side.

          "Nothing's stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth about the conspiracy and the war," Aang agreed.

          "See, Celina and Aang are with me. It's the whole reason we came here in the first place, we have to try," Sokka almost begged.

          "Well, I guess if the Earth King knew the truth, things could change," Katara contemplated.

          "I don't trust the new positive Sokka. Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he!" Toph joked.

          Their conversation was cut sort as Aang spotted three ships on the lake's water. They figured that it was most likely the Dai Li coming to look for them which helped Katara and Toph agree with Sokka's plan. Certain with what they were gonna do, the Gaang jumped on Appa and hurried off towards the Earth King's palace.

          It was a bumpy ride as all of them held onto Appa's fur, not having the luxury of a saddle. The ride got even bumpier as Earth Kingdom soldiers began to attack them with boulders once they got close to the palace. Appa evaded them with ease and the ones that got close Aang managed to turn to dust before the boulders could do any damage. Once they got closer to the ground Aang jumped off and landed in front of who appeared to be the commander and earthbended a shockwave of rock, causing the commander and some troops to be flung away. Once Appa landed Toph was the first to jump down, heading towards the front of the battle with Aang to defend against the soldiers along with push their way towards the palace. The Water Tribe siblings soon followed.

          They pushed forward. Ahead, earthbenders lined the path, punching stones towards the Gaang. Aang swiped half away using his airbending while Toph pushed up projections of stone to block the others. Celina and Katara water whipped the soldiers away with Katara apologizing each time she hit someone. Toph used the stone pathway like mahjong tiles, causing them to pin several approaching soldiers to the ground. As they approached a few bridges guarded by more soldiers Celina ran ahead, using the water from her waterskin to create a ramp for herself, sending her flying over the river running through the palace. She grabbed some water from the river and used it to push the blocking guards into the water. Katara followed her and soon they had the soldiers trapped in a now frozen river which allowed for their friends to cross the bridges. Approaching the stairs, they saw more soldiers come out of the palace and headed down the stairs towards them. Toph took control, earthbending the steps into a ramp which caused the soldiers to slide down while Aang and Toph moved the gang upwards via a platform.

          "Seriously, we're actually on your guys' side. Sorry," Sokka tried to convince the falling soldiers before starting to apologize as well.

          The fighting didn't stop once they got inside the palace. As the benders fought Sokka tried his best to find where the Earth King was located by checking different rooms. Rubble started to fill the halls as they moved through the palace before they finally spotted a massive set of double doors, clad in gold. It practically screamed Earth King.

          "Now that's an impressive door. It's gotta go somewhere," Sokka said before launching himself at it in a flying kick.

          Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to make then move even the tiniest inch but Aang and Toph took care of it for him. With a combination of earth and airbending, the two knocked the doors off their hinges, allowing them access into the Earth King's throne room. The Gaang filled in, standing right in front of the Earth King and Long Feng who was smiling smugly at them along with a few Dai Li agents. The Gaang kept their choice of weapon up, not trusting Long Feng.

          "We need to talk to you!" Aang told the Earth King.

          "They're here to overthrow you," Long Feng lied.

          "No, we're on your side. We're here to help," Sokka said.

          "You have to trust us," Katara begged.

          "You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?" the Earth King glared, his voice rising in aggravation.

          "He has a good point," Toph admitted.

          "If you're on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down," the Earth King told them.

          "Only if the Dai Li don't try anything after we do. We can't use our weapons, they can't use theirs. We step any closer or try to attack you then fine, they can go ahead and defend. Otherwise, both sides don't get to attack. We've wanted to talk to you peacefully for a month. Let's start that now," Celina negotiated, glaring at the agents.

          The Earth King expression didn't soften but he nodded in agreement. Celina and Katara returned the water to their waterskins while Sokka, Aang, and Toph dropped their weapons. Almost immediately after they did so Long Feng signaled to the Dai Li to attack. The Dai Li sent their stone gloves at the Gaang, binding their arms behind their backs, except for Celina who was expecting it. She quickly pulled out some water and turned the stone glove intended for her into mud. Celina held the mud in a defensive stance glaring at Long Feng.

          "We had a deal," she growled.

          "And why should we listen to those who wish to take the city?" Long Feng questioned.

          "Why on earth would the Avatar and ambassadors from the Southern Water Tribe want to take over Ba Sing Se?" Celina questioned back. If Long Feng wanted to lie, then she could tell a small lie as well.

          "The Avatar? You're the Avatar?" the King asked Celina, surprised and interested.

          "Uh, no," Celina replied.

          "Over here," Aang pointed out happily, effortlessly escaping his bonds in order to wave before putting them back again.

          "What does it matter, Your Highness? They're enemies of the state," tried to convince him.

          Bosco decided to jump in at this moment, walking over to sniff and cuddle up to Aang and Celina. He was happy to see Aang again after the party and with Celina's subtle spirit energy the bear was more than happy to hang with them.

          "If we were so dangerous to you then why would Bosco trust us enough to approach?" Celina challenged.

          "Bosco does seem to like them," the King agreed. "I'll hear what you have to say."

          Long Feng's narrowed in displeasure as Aang approached the Earth King. "Well, sir, there is a war going on right now. For the past 100 years in fact. The Dai Li's kept it a secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city and to control you," Aang explained.

          "A secret war? That's crazy!" the Earth King exclaimed.

          "Completely!" Long Feng agreed.

          "Long Feng didn't want us to tell you, so he stole our sky bison to blackmail us. And blackmail is the least of his crimes, he brainwashed our friend!" Aang continued to explain.

          "All lies. I've never even seen a sky bison, Your Majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct," Long Feng lied.

          "Your claim is difficult to believe, even from an Avatar," the Earth King said.

          "Who said we couldn't prove it?" Celina challenged.

          Sokka understood now what his sister was doing and jumped on board, adding to the plan. "Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison, ask him to lift his robe," he told the Earth King.

          "What?! I am not disrobing!" Long Feng replied appalled.

          Sokka nodded at Aang who smiled and used his airbending to breath a burst of air, causing powerful gusts of wind to blow up Long Feng's robes. In doing so it revealed a bruise in the shape of a tooth mark on his left leg, one that the Gaang knew was from Appa.

          "Right there! Appa bit him," Aang pointed out.

          "Never met a sky bison, huh?" Sokka smiled smugly.

          "That happens to be a large birthmark. Thanks for showing everyone," Long Feng lied, pushing down his robes.

          "Well, I suppose there's no way to prove where those marks came from," the Earth King figured.

          "Of course, there is!" Sokka exclaimed.

          Giving them the chance to prove themselves the Earth King ordered the Dai Li to release the Gaang. Now allowed to move freely they got Appa in the room and then made him open his mouth to show that the bruise did indeed come from him. Aang eagerly pointed this out.

          "Yup, that pretty much proves it," the Earth King decided convinced. A smile set on Celina's face as the rest of the Gaang cheered. "But it doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory." The Gaang slumped in disappointment. "Though, I suppose this matter is worth looking into."

          The kids and teens were uncertain but shrugged in agreement, all except Celina. "There's no point. Long Feng would have already ordered for his underground base to be destroyed once we got Appa back. If we were to go and show you only to find everything destroyed it would only make you believe us less. However, there is something we must show you that I believe will convince you that Long Feng is the one who can't be trusted," she said.

          "Celina, what are you thinking?" Katara asked.

          "Your Highness, if you would allow it, will you and a few of your guards accompany us on our sky bison to the outer wall?" Celina asked, subtly answering her sister's question.

          "No Earth King has ever been to the outer wall," the Earth King told her.

          "Perhaps it's time for you to be the first," Celina suggested.

* * *

          The Earth King agreed to what Celina was asking and soon him, a few of his guards, and the Gaang were on Appa flying towards the outer wall. There was a mix of delight and terror on the Earth King's face as they flew through the air.

          "First time flying?" Toph asked.

          "It's both thrilling and terrifying," he admitted.

          "Yeah, I hate it too," Toph replied.

          "I have to be honest with you. Part of me really hopes that what you are telling me about this war… isn't true," the Earth King said.

          "I wish it wasn't," Aang said under his breath. That small hope was broken once they arrived at the wall and saw that the drill was still there.

          "What is that?" the Earth King asked.

          "It's a drill. A giant drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls," Sokka explained.

          Appa landed on the wall, allowing for the Earth King to get a better look. Down below them the drill was still partially embedded in the wall with a perimeter of stone put up around the drill, trapping the spilled slurry in. The Earth King's expression was stunned.

          "I can't believe I never knew," he lamented. Right then, Long Feng and two Dai Li agents appeared on the wall.

          "I can explain this, Your Majesty. This is nothing more than… a construction project," he lied.

          "Really?" Katara said sarcastically. "Then perhaps you can explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your construction project?"

          "Well, it's imported of course. You know you can't trust domestic machinery," Long Feng continued to lie though this time the Earth King didn't believe him. "Surely you don't believe these children, instead of your most loyal attendant?!"

          The Earth King looked at the Gaang's faces, pleading with him to believe them. With everything that they had shown him that day he was definitely leaning to one side over the other. Between Long Feng breaking the temporary peace deal at the beginning, to lying about the sky bison, and now him still trying to lie about the drill it made the Earth King believe that what the others had accused Long Feng of doing would be true.

          "Dai Li, arrest Long Feng. I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom," the Earth King ordered.

          Alarm appeared on Long Feng's face while the Gaang were surprised by their victory. The two Dai Li agents snared Long Feng's wrists in their chain manacles and pulled him back towards them, securing his arms behind him.

          "You can't arrest me. You all need me more than you know!" Long Feng shouted, outraged as the Dai Li took him away.

          "Looks like Long Feng is long gone! Ha… Oh, yeah, I've been waiting to use that one," Sokka joked.

* * *

          After Long Feng was arrested the Earth King and the Gaang arrived back at the palace to discuss things more privately. Bosco happily greeted the King, Celina, and Aang once they got back before sitting down at the Earth King's feet as the monarch took to his throne.

          "I want to thank you, young heroes, for opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools, and that makes me the king fool. We're at war with the Fire Nation," the Earth King took in.

          "That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, Your Highness. Because we think you can help us end the war," Celina stepped up to tell him.

          "We don't have much time. There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable," Aang explained.

          "But there is hope. Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the firebenders will be helpless," Sokka continued.

          "What are you suggesting, Sokka?" the Earth King asked.

          "That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation. The Day of Black Sun," Sokka answered.

          "I don't know. That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable," the King thought apprehensively.

          "You're already vulnerable. The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can sit back and wait for that to happen or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance," Celina pointed out.

          The Gaang waited with baited breath as the Earth King considered his options. After a bit, he finally answered. "Very well. You have my support," he told them. They celebrated. The Water Tribe siblings pulled Toph into a hug while Aang circled them on his air scooter. They were interrupted by one of the Earth King's general's entering the room.

          "Your Majesty, I apologize for the interruption," the man apologized before bowing to the King.

          "This is General How, he's the leader of The Council of Five. My highest-ranking generals," the Earth King introduced.

          "We searched Long Feng's office. I think we found something that will interest everybody," General How informed them.

          Hearing this everyone followed General How to Long Feng's office where General How gathered them around a desk. With everyone there, a guardsman carried over a small ornate chest and slide it across to the Earth King who opened it.

          "There are secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se. Including you kids," General How told them.

          "I'm not really surprised," Celina commented.

          "Secret files?" Aang asked.

          The Earth King picked up one of the scrolls in the chest which was addressed to Toph Bei Fong. He handed it over to Toph who handed it off to Katara so that she could read it.

          "It's a letter from your mom. Your mom's here in the city and she wants to see you," Katara told her much to Toph's surprise.

          "Long Feng intercepted our letters from home? That's just sad," Toph replied disgusted.

          "Aang," the Earth King continued, handing out another scroll.

          "This scroll was attached to the horn of your bison when the Dai Li captured it," General How explained.

          "It's from the Eastern Air Temple," Aang said as he read through the page.

          "Celina," the King moved on, handing her a scroll.

          "Luckily this one was just recovered," the General informed her.

          Her siblings eagerly stepped to Celina's side as she unfurled the scroll, hoping that it would have something to do with their father. Unfortunately for Sokka and Katara, it wasn't and fortunately the person that sent the letter decided to use their false name.

> My dear friend,
> 
> I am sorry that the reason I am writing you so soon is not a good one. Soon after we got home from seeing you my nephew, Lee, feel under a horrible fever. I know that he is a strong young man but worry that the fever may prove much for him. I was hoping that perhaps you could help, seeing as you are quite skilled in healing. I believe that you would do much good for him. Please come soon.
> 
> Mushi

          Celina was confused. Zuko looked fine the last time she saw him a few hours ago, but Iroh wouldn't lie about something like a fever. He was too good a man who was just worried about his nephew. Celina couldn't help but be a bit worried as well. How bad were fevers for firebenders? Was it possible that Zuko could actually burn himself out if the fever got out of control? She looked at her friends and family.

          "My friend from the Lower Ring, his nephew is ill and is unsure if he'll make it. He's asking for my help," Celina told them, exaggerating a bit so that they had an idea of the situation she was faced with. "I need to get down there."

          "Do you need any help?" Katara asked, offering her healing services as well.

          "No, I should be fine on my own. Besides, they're not super comfortable around new people. Took them a while to warm up to me," Celina denied. It wasn't exactly a lie, it did take a while for her, Iroh, and Zuko to form a kinda friendship. And it wouldn't be a good idea for Katara to find out about their presence in Ba Sing Se just yet.

          "You better get going then. We'll catch you up on anything else later," Aang promised her.

          Celina nodded in thanks to her friends, bid goodbye to the Earth King and General How, and ran out of the room. Celina was on an unknown time limit and she needed to make a stop first before heading to Zuko and Iroh's apartment. Since Iroh was smart enough to keep the letter disguised perhaps she should wear her own disguise as well. Continue to keep those two off the radar of anyone that would think that they were there to cause harm.

* * *

          Zuko sat upon the Fire Lord's throne-mat behind a screen of golden flames. He was clad in the crown and robes of the Fire Lord, his scar removed from his face. As he sat looking over the throne room a blue dragon slithered down a nearby pillar.

          "It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my Lord?" the Blue Dragon asked in Azula's voice.

          "I'm not tired," he replied.

          "Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go, give into it. Shut your eyes for a while," the Blue Dragon tried to convince him.

          "No, Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the Blue Dragon. You should get out of here right now. Go! Before it's too late!" a Red Dragon insisted in his uncle's voice, having slithered down right next to him.

          "Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko," the Blue Dragon insisted.

          Both of the dragons disappeared and soon the throne room was swallowed by inky blackness, the pillars crumbling before falling into the void of darkness. Zuko tried to search through the darkness, his eyes wide with distress. From out of the darkness, two golden eyes of the Blue Dragon appeared before it rushed towards him.

          "Sleep, just like MOTHER!" the Blue Dragon roared.

          The Blue Dragon opened its jaw wide enough to swallow Zuko in darkness. In that darkness was a figure that when he drew close Zuko saw that it was his mother, looking just like she did the night she left.

          "Zuko, help me!" Ursa pleaded with him.

          As soon as she came Ursa disappeared and once again he was on the throne-mat once more. Except for this time a hole opened up underneath the mat, causing Zuko to sink down into the darkness below. He looked around, hoping to find something to grab a hold of when he spotted Celina hovering above him. Upon looking into her eyes he was no longer dressed in the Fire Lord's robes and his scar had returned to his face. He was the banished prince once again.

          "Zuko!" she cried out, reaching her hand out towards him.

          He tried his best to reach grab hold of her hand but had sunk down far enough that only their fingertips managed to touch. Still, he reached out towards her as he was completely pulled below into the darkness.

* * *

          Celina knocked on the door to what she hoped what Iroh and Zuko's apartment. Iroh did include the address with his letter but still, she was nervous that she somehow remembered it wrong in her hurry to get into her disguise before heading over. Thankfully it only took a moment for the door to open, but when it did it confirmed that Celina made it to the right apartment.

          "Thank you so much for coming," Iroh greeted her before ushering him into the main room.

          She spotted Zuko almost instantly, trying to sleep his way through the fever. Iroh had set up his sick bed in the main room, allowing her to go to Zuko's bedside right away. He had pushed away his blanket letting Celina see that his body was coated in sweat. The expression on his face showed that he'd been fighting the fever for a while, but it had been taking a strain on him. Kneeling down next to him, Celina turned him so that Zuko was on his back, ready for her to examine. She drew some water out of the waterskin she brought with her and surrounding her hands with it before hovering over Zuko's chest. Using her healing abilities, she began to scan his body, getting an idea of what type of fever Zuko was dealing with. Her initial scan informed her that it was indeed a fever but there was something hiding underneath that she couldn't quite figure out with her healing. Deciding to take it a step further, Celina focused in on Zuko's anatomy with her bloodbending, searching through all his bodily organs from head to toe before finding that the source of his fever was radiating from Zuko's core, right where a firebenders inner flame would supposedly be.

          "This isn't just a normal fever," Celina spoke, looking to Iroh for any sort of confirmation. The older gentleman nodded in response, causing Celina to sigh. "I'll be able to make him comfortable and bring the fever down to a more manageable state if it gets too out of control. But otherwise, it's up to his willpower to fight it off."

          "Thank you for doing this," Iroh thanked once again.

          "Anything for a friend," Celina replied with a small smile before returning her attention to Zuko.

          Moving up to the teen's head Celina situated her hands on each of Zuko's temples and started a cooling session that would help relieve his discomfort. As the water glowed once more with healing powers Zuko stirred, waking.

          "What? What's happening?" he asked disorientated before catching view of familiar blue irises. "Celina?"

          "Don't worry, Zuko, I'm here to help. Just try and relax," she assured him, continuing with the cooling session.

          "You caught me," Zuko muttered confusing her a bit, though it was to be expected when dealing with high fevers. He tried to raise a hand to cup her cheek, wanting to make sure that she was actually there, but it fell weakly back to his side.

          "Your critical decision, what you did beneath that lake… it was in such conflict with your image of yourself, that you are now at war within your own mind and body," Iroh explained to his nephew.

          "What's that mean?" Zuko asked before turning over into a coughing fit. Celina was quick to return her water back to her waterskin before gently rubbing Zuko's back, trying to comfort him.

          "You're going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be," Iroh replied.

          "Iroh, do you have drinking water?" Celina asked as Zuko continued to cough.

          Iroh nodded and headed off into the kitchen. "Don't you already have water?" Zuko asked, finished with coughing.

          "Trust me, you don't want to drink my bending water," Celina told him remembering when she had to do so herself back in the desert. It wasn't as bad as Katara's, but it still wasn't the greatest. And it also wouldn't be the healthiest. Iroh came back with a bucket of drinking water and a cup. Celina took the cup and filled it before helping Zuko back into a sitting position and brought the cup to Zuko's lips. "Drink, you need to keep hydrated." Zuko happily obliged, eagerly gulping down the water. When he was finished he went to grab the bucket, but Celina slapped his hand away. "Slow down." While she didn't allow Zuko to grab the bucket she did fill the cup up and let him drink from that. This time Zuko listened to her and drank slow. After this cup, he seemed to be satisfied and laid back down to sleep.

* * *

          Celina talked with Iroh for a while after Zuko went to sleep, Iroh brewing them a pot of tea. He asked about Aang's reunion with Appa which turned into Celina explaining what happened afterward with them invading the palace, convincing the Earth King to trust them, and taking down Long Feng. Iroh asked why she negotiated a peace if she knew that Long Feng would break it and was impressed when she answered saying that it was a tactic to show the Earth King that Long Feng was untrustworthy. She decided to leave out the part about the Day of Black Sun and the Earth King agreeing to work with them on the invasion. Zuko could wake up at any time and time finding out about them planning an invasion probably wasn't the best for either his health or their relationship.

          After a while, though Iroh fell asleep, tired from staying up for over a day dealing with Zuko. Celina stayed up to watch over Zuko. Sure, she was tired, having gotten as much sleep as Iroh the day before, but monitoring Zuko's fever was a bit more important. She'd done two more cooling sessions and was about to start on a third when Zuko bolted up with a shout. His hand shot up to his scar and when he discovered it to still be there Zuko started shaking. Celina was quick to comfort him, gently placing her hand on his back.

          "Hey, it's okay, it was just a nightmare," she told him. Zuko tensed when he first felt her hand but relaxed after hearing her voice. Seeing him calm down Celina reached for his cup and filled it with drinking water before holding it out to him. "Drink."

          Zuko once again did as she ordered, this time taking the cup himself and drained it. Celina was prepared to slap his hand away if he tried to reach for the bucket, but he simply handed the up back to her. She set the cup aside and proceeded to help Zuko back down into a laying position.

          "How are you feeling?" she asked, taking out her bending water to perform a scan. A sigh escaped his lips, enjoying the cool sensation of Celina's healing waters.

          "Hot," he answered. "And jumbled."

          "That's normal for fevers. Even firebender fevers," Celina assured him.

          "What do you mean?" he asked confused.

          "I don't know if you've noticed, but you firebenders tend to run hotter than the rest of us," Celina replied, teasing him a bit. Zuko flushed, reminding Celina that now was a good time for a cooling session. "I can do a bit to help you cool down a bit."

          Taking her hands away from his chest Celina positioned herself right above his head and placed her water covered hands on his temples. Zuko let out a small gasp which turned into a sigh of relief when his cooling session started. Not knowing where to look he watched Celina as she concentrated, trying his best to take her in.

          "Why's your hair up?" Zuko asked, noticing that Celina's hair was tied in a braid.

          "Adds a layer to the disguise," she answered. "Thought it would be for the best. That way no one would know where I was go…"

          Celina stopped talking as Zuko reached up and pulled the string holding her hair, undoing the braid. He then went on to run his fingers through her hair, causing it to fall in waves.

          "You look beautiful with your hair down," he said.

          Celina blushed for the first time in a while. The curtaining of her hair created an intimacy in the already semi-private room. Their eyes locked and it was like the sun and moon were meeting in the dead of night while everyone else slept. A natural phenomenon that only they would experience. And after a minute the moment was gone as Celina looked away, too flustered by his brightness which stirred the passion in her core.

          Clearing her throat Celina ended the cooling session and returned her bending water to her water skin. "You need your rest," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She went to move but Zuko caught her wrist.

          "Stay," he asked, the grip on her wrist weak and gentle.

          Her eyes wandered to his hand before looking back at Zuko. She nodded. Zuko's hand fell back to his side. He took one last look at her before closing his eyes. Celina softly hummed as her fingers absentmindedly started playing with his hair, watching as Zuko's breathing slowly fell into the rhythm of sleep.


	17. The Guru

          Celina watched from the kitchen table as the first inklings of dawn crept through the window. She had sat by Zuko's side for over an hour after he'd fallen asleep, going over her conflicted feelings in her head. Deciding that it wouldn't be wise to dwell on it for now Celina had gotten up and done something that Iroh would have approved of: Made tea. It had helped her calm down before taking back control of her body from her raging spirit powers so she hoped it would calm her mind long enough till she could get to the Spirit World. She'd have to talk to Bitten about this new development. It didn't take long for her to brew something up and soon she fell into a routine of savoring her cup of tea, checking on Zuko, reheating the pot, and repeat. She was on her third cup when sunrise came, causing Iroh to stir.

          "Looks like firebenders do rise with the sun," Celina mentally noted before greeting Iroh. "Morning."

          "Good morning," Iroh yawned. He was quick to notice his teapot on the table and a cup in Celina's hand. "You brewed tea."

          "I hope you don't mind," she replied.

          "No. It's actually quite nice waking up to an already made pot. What did you brew?" Iroh asked.

          "Jasmine," Celina answered as she poured the man a cup. He happily accepted and smiled after taking a sip.

          "Wonderful," Iroh sighed. He looked over at Zuko who was still asleep. "How is he?"

          "He woke from a nightmare after you fell asleep but it's been pretty peaceful since then. I've been checking up on him between cups and noticed that his fever has gone down."

          "Between cups? Sounds like I have a fellow tea lover," Iroh teased, causing Celina to chuckle. "It's good to hear that he's healing. You are a vigilant young woman to stay up all night watching him. I hope you didn't pull your hair out over it."

          Celina looked down at her cup sheepishly when Iroh joke about her hair now being down. "Actually it was your nephew who decided to do that. Turns out he likes it when I have my hair down," she explained.

          "It appears his fever has made him brave enough to admit to his feelings," Iroh chuckled.

          "What?" Celina asked, wanting him to elaborate.

          "Well I probably shouldn't be telling you this but my nephew has always needed a push when it comes to these things. I've noticed that he's had quite the crush on you for a while now. Not that he's told me directly," Iroh explained.

          She definitely needed to talk to Bitten. Luckily Celina didn't have to think of a response for Iroh as someone let out a groan. Both Iroh and Celina turned to see that Zuko had woken up and had managed to get himself in a sitting position. Celina was quick to put down her cup and head over to Zuko, pulling her bending water into her hands.

          "How are you feeling?" she asked him. She didn't wait for him to respond before going into her examination. Zuko flinched a bit at the coldness of her healing waters but didn't gasp or sigh like he had done the night before. A good sign for Celina.

          "Better. My head's all clear and I don't feel so warm anymore," Zuko told her.

          Celina smiled in response. What Zuko said was great and her healing scan revealed that his body temperature had returned to normal for a firebender, sitting a little bit above her own. He was healthy. She quickly returned her bending water to her waterskin.

          "Looks like your fever has passed. I still suggest a day of rest where you relax and take in fluids to make sure that the fever doesn't come back," Celina recommended.

          "Luckily Celina has already prepared a pot of jasmine tea," Iroh said and prepared a cup for Zuko. "She has been a great help."

          "Well she is great," Zuko commented taking the cup and a sip.

          Eyebrows were raised. Iroh mentioned that Zuko was never good at admitting feelings. And while a compliment didn't exactly mean that a person was attracted to the other after learning that Zuko might have a crush on her his comment meant a lot. He just didn't seem to realize what he said just yet, something Celina was going to tease him about. After all, she'd gotten braver with her advances since Bitten.

          "You're just full of compliments lately," Celina said.

          "What?" Zuko asked, taken aback.

          "Last night you said I look pretty with my hair down and just now you called me great. Careful, another compliment and I'll begin to think you like me," Celina teased.

          A coat of blush appeared on Zuko's cheeks. He looked away and tried to hide behind his cup but Celina noticed that he didn't try to deny what he said. It was kinda cute. Spirits, she really needed to talk to Bitten. Deciding that it would be best to get out and actually talk to Bitten Celina stood up.

          "Seeing as you're all good I should be going. I've put sleep off long enough," Celina said.

          "That's right, you have been up for two days now," Iroh remembered.

          "You didn't get any sleep last night?" Zuko asked shocked.

          "Wanted to be up to make sure your temperature didn't get any higher," Celina explained.

          "You have done so much for us. We must find a way to thank you," Iroh said, grabbing hold of Celina's hands and giving them a nice squeeze.

          "The Jasmine Dragon!" Zuko exclaimed. Celina looked over at him confused while Iroh just smiled. "Uncle has been given his own tea shop in the Upper Ring. It opens tomorrow. You should come."

          "It will be an honor to have you there," Iroh agreed.

          "I'll see the both of you then," Celina accepted.

          With that Iroh and Zuko finally letting her go, Celina headed out of their apartment and started on her journey home. It only took stepping out of their doorway for the exhaustion of the past two days to hit her. Bed sounded wonderful.

* * *

          Katara had just woken up when Celina slugged through the door. Her sister looked absolutely exhausted and like she just wanted to pass out on her bed.

          "Rough night?" Katara asked.

          "Rough two nights," Celina groaned. The journey to her bed was paused when she noticed that only Katara was in the main room, missing three other people. "Where are the others?"

          "They're gone for a few days. Aang's gone to…," Katara started to explain.

          Celina held up her hand, stopping her sister. "Explain later when I'm more awake," she told her.

          Katara nodded softly smiled as Celina slinked off to bed. After these past two days of finding Appa, confronting Long Feng, convincing the Earth King to join their side, and then going to heal a friend Celina deserved a good sleep.

* * *

          Entering into the Spirit World made Celina feel like she'd instantly gotten an energy boost of having slept for a day or so. Her siblings never understood how she would get sleep when every night she visited the Spirit World. Celina often explained it as though she was dreaming when she went to the Spirit World except that she was in control of herself and that some things could transfer over into the human world like clothes, something Celina still hadn't figured out why it worked. Something about clothing being easier to transfer over compared to actual spirits.

          Now that she was here Celina set out to do what she intended to do since early this morning. Searching the temple and its gardens Celina looked for Bitten. With what she felt regarding Zuko she needed to talk to him and her parents as well but seeing as she was currently in a relationship with Bitten he was her top priority at the moment. It didn't take her long to find him since Bitten tended to be close by for her arrival. Ever the gentleman to be around to welcome her back to the Spirit World.

          "Haven't seen you in a while," he teased pulling her into him. Bitten leaned down and gave her a long, loving kiss. He was pleased when Celina sank into it but was surprised with what she said once they broke apart.

          "We need to talk," she told him.

          Taking Bitten by the hand Celina lead him into deeper into the garden to their own secluded spot. Her parent's followers were respectful enough not to mention anything about her and Bitten's relationship, but Celina still felt the need to keep things as private as she could. And their spot in the garden was always the place they had these conversations. Bitten sat down on the bench and waited while Celina paced back and forth for a bit, trying to form the correct words.

          "I… I've come across someone who is attracted to me," she began.

          "Well that's nothing new," Bitten teased.

          "And I'm pretty sure that I'm attracted to him," Celina admitted. Bitten didn't respond. He just stared at Celina who felt panic rising up and hurriedly tried to explain. "I wasn't actively looking for someone. It's just that over these past two nights I spent more time with him and last night we kinda shared this intimate moment. Not that we were intimate! It was actually really innocent. But when we just looked at each other my feelings about him grew into wanting more of those moments and then my passion side kicked in and wanted even more than what was happening. But I pulled away from that because I'm with you and me acting on those feelings while being with you isn't fair. Like I don't care if I'm the Spirit of Passion, being caught up in a moment of passion is not a good excuse when you're already in a relationship with someone else. Then when I was leaving I did a bit of flirting which sent me even more into a red flag zone. And I just knew that I had to talk to you about this because you deserve to know."

          Bitten sat there for a while, taking in the word vomit of Celina's explanation which caused Celina to shift uncomfortably while waiting. "Please say something, anything," Celina begged which caused Bitten to chuckle. "Okay, maybe not that."

          "I should've known I couldn't keep you to myself for much longer," Bitten finally said.

          "What?" Celina asked confused. "You're… you're not mad?"

          "No," Bitten replied. He grabbed hold of Celina's hand and pulled her to the bench to sit down. "We both knew that this relationship of ours wouldn't last forever after all. I should've expected that a beautiful woman like you would have others drawn to her and eventually be drawn to someone in return. I'm just glad I was able to be with you for as long as I have."

          "You're way too understanding of this," Celina commented.

          "I've just been around long enough to understand. If you truly believe you have feelings for this guy then go for it, it will be one step closer to finding your soulmate. And hey, if it doesn't work out, then perhaps we can start this back up again," Bitten said.

          Feeling the guilt lift off her shoulders Celina leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Bitten's cheek. "Thank you," she said before letting out a deep sigh. "Now I just need to talk to my parent's about this."

          "I'm sure it'll be fine. Your mother will be ecstatic to find out you want to pursue a relationship with someone," Bitten assured her.

          "It's a bit more complicated than that," Celina replied.

          "How can be complicated?" Bitten asked with a teasing tone.

          "He's the Prince of the Fire Nation," she told him.

          Bitten paused, taken aback. "I understand how that can be complicated," he responded. "I wish you luck with your parents. Though I still believe that you'll be alright."

          Celina hoped that he would be right as she bid Bitten goodbye and headed off to her parents' bedroom. Members of the Temple gave her small smiles as she walked past, seeing how nervous the girl was. Entering their room Celina was instantly greeted with warm welcomes and hugs. They hadn't seen her for three days which had never happened since Celina began journeying to the Spirit World.

          "Celina, there you are, my little turtle duck," Bishamon observed.

          "Hi, Daddy," Celina greeted, reaching over her father's bed to give him a hug.

          "We were beginning to get worried not seeing you for so long," Ai told her.

          "Sorry, I was kinda busy in the human world these past two nights," Celina apologized.

          "Dealing with that Long Feng?" Bishamon asked.

          "Yes, but that was during the day. Night was… different," Celina answered.

          "Had fun gallivanting with a handsome young man did you?" Ai lightly joked. Celina looked down, not wanting to meet either of her parent's eyes with what she was about to tell them.

          "Uh… actually yeah," Celina admitted,

          "Wait really!" Ai exclaimed, both her and Bishamon's eyes going wide in surprise. While Bishamon remained unmoving in his bed out of shock Ai bounded over to her daughter and squeezed her in excitement. "That's amazing! I knew you'd snag yourself a boy. You are my daughter after all."

          "I haven't exactly snagged him. I mean, I like him and I have a feeling he likes me but I didn't want to go for it until I talked to you guys," Celina said.

          "You don't need our permission to date anyone," Bishamon told her. "We trust you to pick out your own partner."

          "He's the son of the Fire Lord," she informed them.

          A paused. They had been taken aback by the information just like Bitten was. All Celina could do was wait as they processed the information. Her mother was the first one to speak.

          "Well, we weren't expecting that but it's not surprising. Love can appear in such mysterious ways, pairing up people you wouldn't expect. Plus it runs in the family. Spirits were surprised when it turned out your father and I were soulmates," she said.

          "So you're okay with me pursuing this?"Celina asked.

          "We never stand in the way of potential love," Ai replied.

          "Besides, seducing him might come with other advantages," Bishamon piped in. "You would be bringing the son of the man continuing on the war to our side. That will cause quite a disturbance for the enemy along with creating a known ally for the future for when we've won."

          "Oh, just imagine the Fire Lord's face when he finds out his son has switched sides because he fell in love with a waterbender who's working with the Avatar. That'll stick it to him," Ai laughed.

          "I'd rather not go for this relationship just so that I can bring Zuko to our side," Celina mentioned, shifting uncomfortably.

          "Of course, turtle duck. We're just saying that it would be an added bonus," Bishamon assured her.

          "If you truly want to try for a relationship with this man then we support you," Ai said.

          "Thanks, Mom, Dad," Celina smiled.

          As if on cue Celina's form started to flicker in and out. "Go get him, honey. And be sure to bring back all the juicy details," Ai encouraged.

          "Maybe not all of them," Bishamon said, causing Celina to leave laughing.

* * *

          Morning light had already filled the room when Celina woke up. She was a bit confused at what time it was but knew that the answer to that question would need her to get up out of bed. She let out a big stretch before getting out bed and headed to the main room of the house. Sitting at the table where she'd last seen her before going to bed was Katara enjoying some tea and fruit. Upon seeing her sister come out of their shared room Katara poured another cup of tea.

          "Good, you're awake. I was beginning to worry about you sleeping for any longer," Katara said, passing Celina the cup of tea once she sat down.

          "How long have I been out?" Celina asked.

          "A whole day. Thought you might have caught whatever you were helping your friend's nephew with," Katara answered.

          "I guess that's what I get for staying up for practically three days straight, even as the recovered insomniac," Celina shrugged and took a sip of her tea. "So, fill me in on what's been going on. What've I missed?"

          "Well, the other three are gone for a little while. Toph is out somewhere in the city visiting her mother. Sokka's at Chameleon Bay to see Dad and the rest of the Southern Fleet. And Aang's gone off to the Eastern Air Temple to learn how to control the Avatar State from this Guru Pathik. Plus, Suki and two other of the Kyoshi Warriors have arrived," Katara explained.

          "I'll have to go say hello. So with the others gone and me asleep what have you been up to?" Celina continued to ask.

          "I've been in strategy meetings with the Earth King's generals," Katara answered. "It's great knowing that we have them on our side and that we're developing a plan to put a stop to this war but sometimes I feel like I don't know what to add. Like, I feel like the generals don't understand why I'm there. I don't know. You and Sokka are the ones who are good with planning and strategy. Hopefully, you can help at least."

          "I'd love to help but you're just gonna have to handle one more day without me, sis. My friend's asked me to come down again today so that he and his nephew could thank me for my healing work. They're gonna take me out on the town as a treat," Celina said before popping some grapes into her mouth. She still thought it would be smart to continue to lie about Iroh and Zuko to her sister.

          "That sounds nice. Alright, I guess I can deal without you for another day," Katara pouted a bit.

          "Try not to let the generals get you down, Katara. And try not to let them give you any crap. You are a master waterbender after all and a teacher to the Avatar, you have every right to belong in those meetings," Celina said, trying to cheer Katara up.

          "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Celina," Katara smiled, determined to stand strong during the strategy meeting today. The young waterbender finished her tea and stood. "I'll head over early to show them how serious I am about these meetings. Have a good day out."

          Celina smiled as she watched her sister leave with so much determination filled up inside her. She hadn't seen that from Katara since they'd been in the North Pole when she'd been determined to learn how to fight from Pakku. Confidence looked good on her. When her sister was out of the building Celina finished up breakfast and then headed back inside her room to get ready for the day. She had an outfit in mind that would be perfect for a tea house grand opening.

* * *

          The Jasmine Dragon opening had been a success so far as the building was constantly packed with customers. His uncle's ability in brewing tea had made him as famous in the Upper Ring as it had when they were still down at Pao Family Tea House in the Lower Ring. While it meant more work for him, Zuko didn't once complain, happy to see the constant smile on his uncle's face as the older man did what he loved. Plus, he had the promise that Celina would be coming for opening day. It was around noon that that promise was fulfilled.

          Zuko was busy running orders that he almost didn't see Celina come in. When he did spot her Zuko paused, his mouth slightly ajar. Instead of her normal Water Tribe attire or the Lower Ring disguise that he'd seen her in yesterday, she was dressed in a formal gold and green robe worthy of a day out in the Upper Ring. Her long hair was partially up in a bun with golden ornamental chopsticks holding it in place. She was beautiful. He watched her scan the room for a moment before finding him in the busyness. It was still surprising to see her smiling at him but Zuko happily welcomed it.

          "Hello, Lee," Celina greeted using his Earth Kingdom name.

          "Hi," Zuko greeted. "You look wonderful."

          "Thank you. Still full of compliments I see," Celina smiled softly. "I have to admit, it's really nice."

          "I… uh... Let me show you to your table," Zuko replied, not exactly knowing how to respond. Celina smirked in response and followed after Zuko as he led her to a newly emptied table. He was quick to pull out her chair for her, earning him a smile and another thank you.

          "Got any recommendations on what to order?" Celina asked.

          "Actually, Uncle's prepared something. He said you mentioned liking chai tea so he's been sitting on a pot just for you. Along with some other things," Zuko told her.

          "Sounds lovely," Celina said.

          "I'll go get that for you," Zuko nodded.

          Hurrying off towards the kitchen Zuko accidentally bumped into the table, causing Celina to giggle. He gave her a nervous smile before scurrying off. Entering the busy kitchen allowed Zuko to gather himself. Why was he so nervous? It was just Celina.

          But that was the thing. It was Celina. It was the girl he'd been dreaming about for months. Where his mind would wander off to when times got hard and he felt alone. It was the girl who saved both him and his uncle after everything. The girl who'd taken down his wanted posters. It was the girl who stayed with him when he was sick. That was the girl who was currently sitting in his uncle's tea shop for their opening day.

          And he wanted to give her so much in return.

* * *

          Celina had been people watched when Zuko came back wheeling out a cart with a pot of tea, a cup, and a slew of different pastries. She thought that perhaps he was bringing out other people's orders as well but was surprised when Zuko started transferring all of what was on the cart to her table. From the corner of her eye she could see other patrons eyeing up the selection she was being given, practically drooling over the delicate desserts.

          "Your uncle really paid attention when I mentioned that I like sweets. Please tell me he didn't slave away baking all of these," Celina commented.

          "No," Zuko chuckled. "We get them in from a bakery. Uncle wanted to make sure we had fresh baked goods for people to enjoy with their tea."

          "Smart man. Though that's not surprising. This is all so much," Celina said.

          "I don't think it's enough, to be honest," Zuko admitted, having finished transferring the goods from the cart.

          "Then what would you suggest?" Celina asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

          Celina could see him debating about what to say before he finally replied. "Maybe I can treat you to dinner tonight after we close up," he suggested.

          "Like a date?" Celina asked, surprised.

          Zuko looked down at his shoes, finding them more interesting at the moment. "If you'd like to call it that," he said.

          "It's a date then," Celina smiled. Zuko looked back up at her in shock but a soft smile slowly spread across his face. He would have stayed there chatting with her but a customer called him over to their table.

          "I should get back to the other customers," he said. "I'll see you tonight?"

          "Tonight," she agreed.

          They exchanged lingering smiles before Zuko took the cart and headed off to serve the other customers. Looking over her own spread Celina filled her cup with tea and took a long sip. She let out a content hum, enjoying her tea. Looks like her vision in the swamp was right, chai tea was indeed her favorite. Her swamp vision. Turns out she had no reason to worry about it. Having a good relationship with Iroh and Zuko was actually nice. Her eyes went to Zuko taking an older couple's order. Yes, a relationship would be nice.

          Celina snuck a few more glances at Zuko as she enjoyed her tea and treats. A couple of times they've caught eyes and smiled at each other across the room. Everything was so nice. If only it stayed that way. From her table, Celina saw her sister stand in the doorway of the Jasmine Dragon. There was a look of shock on her face. Celina followed her sister's eye line and saw that she had spotted Zuko.

          "Oh no," Celina frowned.

          Katara did a heel turn and ran in the opposite direction of the Jasmine Dragon. Celina herself was quick to get up from her table and rush out of the tea shop after her sister. She had an inkling where Katara was heading and she needed to stop her before she could destroy the life that Iroh and Zuko had created.

* * *

          Running all the way to the Earth King's palace left Katara out of breath but she couldn't stop. She needed to tell them that the Fire Nation managed to sneak into the city. Running into the Earth King's throne room she saw that the Earth King wasn't there but three of the Kyoshi Warriors were. While it was great to see them Katara was sad that she was coming to them with upsetting news.

          "Thank goodness you're here, Suki. Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation had infiltrated the city. I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle!" Katara told them. She saw Suki's eyes snap open at the news. Katara was going to continue when Celina came running into the room.

          "Katara, wait! Please, I have to talk to you!" she exclaimed.

          Her sister grabbed hold of her arm, trying to catch her breath. It was strange seeing her sister dolled up for the day, out of breath from running. She had a feeling what was going on. While Celina was being treated to a nice day out with her friends she must have spotted Zuko like she had.

          "Don't worry, Celina, I already know and have told Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors. We have to tell the Earth King right away!" Katara said.

          "Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to let him know," Suki smiled, rising to her feet.

          The Water Tribe girls' eyes widened in realization of who 'Suki' really was. Celina tried to get into some sort of defensive or offensive position but her robes unexpectedly restricted her movement. Ty Lee took this opportunity to launch into action, jabbing several of Celina's pressure points, while Mai threw a handful of her knives at Katara. The older girl fell to the floor paralyzed as Katara drew out her water and blocked the knives. This left her open for attack from Ty Lee however and soon she joined her sister on the floor, unable to move as her bending water pooled around them. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee stood around the girls in a smug victory.

          "So, Zuzu's in the city too. I think it's time for a family reunion. But first, it's time to take care of these two," Azula smirked deviously.

* * *


	18. The Crossroads of Destiny

They'd been trapped in a room for hours. Katara had it the easiest out of the two of them. She just had her hands bound and chained to the ground so that she couldn't get away. Celina was a different story. They had chained both her arms and legs to the wall and Azula sent Ty Lee in every hour or so to redo the chi blocking, making it so that Celina was constantly on the floor. It left her constantly sore and Celina was certain that there'd be bruises in the shape of Ty Lee's fingers when she'd finally be able to look.

Ty Lee made eight visits before the Dai Li showed up around the time that Celina was starting to regain feeling in her legs. They removed the girls' bounds to replace them with their own stone ones and began to lead them to a deeper part of the palace. The girls were a bit confused when they were lead to a rock garden of sorts. Using their earthbending the Dai Lee moved one of the rocks, uncovering a secret opening.

"Enjoy your stay in the catacombs," the Dai Li agents sarcastically wished.

One shoved and the Water Tribe girls were tumbling down the hole. It was a rough landing and as soon as they hit the bottom the earth shackles were removed and the hole to the catacombs was closed. Groans escaped from both girls as they recovered. Katara was quick to get up while Celina slowly lifted herself up with shaky arms, Ty Lee's chi blocking having worn off.

"You okay?" Katara asked.

"Fine, just a bit sore from everything," Celina answered. "At least now that I'm free to move I can do this." Grabbing hold of the fabric of her dress she tore different slits in it.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked.

"Prepping in case of a fight. This dress kinda screwed us over last time and I'm not gonna let that happen again," Celina explained.

"Shame that you have to ruin such a pretty dress though," Katara commented.

"It's not like I'm gonna need it in prison," Celina said.

"Speaking of which, where are we?" Katara wondered.

Looking around the catacombs the first thing Celina noticed was the giant green crystals that grew everywhere. The strangest thing about the crystals was that they gave off a strong hum of energy. Curious, Celina walked over to one of the closest crystals, reaching a hand out towards it. She didn't completely touch the crystal when they all began to glow green, the humming energy intensifying. Celina instantly retracted her hand beginning to feel overwhelmed by the energy. As the glow of the crystals faded Celina caught her reflection in them, seeing the end of the blue glow from her own eyes.

"That was so pretty," Katara commented.

"That was… overpowering," Celina said, backing away from the rocks. She made a mental note to stay away from the crystals as long as they were down there. "This place is overflowing with spiritual energy."

"Wait, so does that mean you'd get an energy boost if you used your spirit powers?" Katara questioned.

"Possibly," Celina contemplated.

"Great! That means you can get us out of here," Katara smiled.

"I don't know about that. I'd probably be able to get us out of here yes, but I have no idea how long I'll be able to keep going once we get out. And I don't want you having to carry my unconscious body while trying to fight the Dai Li or worse off Azula. Especially when you don't have any water to bend with," Celina explained, expressing her concerned.

"I see your point," Katara sighed, her excitement deflated.

"The best we could do now is try and find an exit, otherwise we're stuck here waiting to be rescued," Celina said.

"And I'm sure they wouldn't throw us down here only to have us escape through an exit," Katara figured out.

"Then it looks like we're waiting," Celina replied.

"I hope the others get back soon," Katara sighed and sat down on a crystal that formed like a bench. "I'm sorry Zuko had to ruin your day out."

Celina shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't told Katara anything about Iroh or Zuko, even when Katara was constantly cursing them out while they were tied up in the room. Part of her didn't want to give the Dai Li any more information on Zuko and Iroh than they already had and part of her was just nervous to admit anything to her sister. But perhaps now that they were completely alone it was time to tell her.

"Actually, he didn't," Celina admitted.

"I mean, yeah technically it was Azula and her friends who really ruined it, but don't let Zuko off the hook because of a technicality," Katara replied, not understanding what her sister was trying to tell her.

"No, I mean he didn't ruin my day because he was my day," Celina clarified.

"What?" Katara asked confused.

"It was Iroh and Zuko who invited me to the tea shop out of thanks," Celina explained.

Katara's eyes widened. "Your friend… his nephew that was sick… that was Iroh and Zuko wasn't it?" she asked. Celina nodded sheepishly. "How long have you known they were in the city."

"A week after the Earth King's party," Celina admitted.

"How could you not tell us? How could you not tell us that the Fire Nation already invaded Ba Sing Se weeks ago?" Katara questioned, hurt and anger reverberating in her voice.

"They didn't invade. They came to the city as refugees. Katara, you've seen their wanted posters. All Iroh and Zuko wanted to do was find a place where they didn't have to run anymore. They've been living peacefully in the city, happy to work in tea shops," Celina said coming to Zuko and Iroh's defense.

"You can't possibly convince me that Zuko was happy going from a spoiled prince to a tea shop worker," Katara frowned.

"Well, no. It did take him time to adjust, but he's come around," Celina admitted. Katara's eyes narrowed, noticing how hard Celina was defending Zuko.

"You've fallen for him, haven't you?" Katara asked.

Celina looked away, not wanting to meet her sister's eyes. "I was supposed to have dinner with him later," she muttered.

A scoff escaped Katara's mouth. "You've been so keen on not dating anyone and the person you decide to break that rule with is our enemy," Katara said. "He's playing you, Celina. All Zuko cares about is capturing Aang and I'm sure he's not opposed to using you to do so."

"That's not true. Katara, believe me, he's changed," Celina plead.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Katara brush aside, not even believing what she said. She turned her back to her sister, ending their conversation. Celina looked sadly at Katara and sighed.

* * *

Appa landed in front of the Gaang's house in the Upper Ring. It had been a tense ride for everyone since Aang picked up Sokka and Toph. They headed straight to the palace after Aang informed them that he had a vision of Katara and Celina chained up in a room. The Earth King had assured them that the girls were fine and that they were off with the Kyoshi Warriors. Still, Aang wouldn't be satisfied until he saw that they were safe at the house. It turned out that wasn't the case.

"There's no one else here," Toph informed them, using her earthbending to check the whole house without even moving.

"They are in trouble! I knew it!" Aang exclaimed.

"Oh no," Sokka frowned, the reality of his sisters' capture being realized.

"Wait, someone's at the door," Toph sensed before walking over to open it. "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine. Glad to see you're okay."

Sokka and Aang went into a state of shock and panic as they saw Iroh standing in the doorway. Toph simply smiled at Iroh and gave him a friendly wave.

"I need your help," Iroh told them.

"You guys know each other!" Aang asked Toph.

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me and Celina tea and some very good advice," Toph explained.

"May I come in?" Iroh asked, remaining polite. Toph nodded, letting him into the house. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."

"She must have captured Katara and Celina," Aang surmised.

"She has captured my nephew as well," Iroh said.

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula and save the girls and Zuko," Aang decided.

"Woah there. You lost me at, 'Zuko'," Sokka protested.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew. But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him. Your sister has helped bring that out," Iroh told him.

"My sister? No! No, I don't believe that," Sokka pushed, shoving the old man away.

"Katara is in trouble. Celina is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. I like Zuko as much as you do but working together is our best chance," Aang told him. Sokka looked at Aang to Iroh and then back again, nodding grudgingly.

"I brought someone along who might be able to help us," Iroh told them.

Ushering the three outside the others saw a bound and gagged Dai Li agent that Iroh managed to capture, sitting right there on their porch. Toph lifted the agent up with her earthbending and Iroh pulled the cloth over his face down, allowing him to talk. Seeing four angry people looming over him it didn't take long for the Dai Li agent to spill the details.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King," he spouted out.

"My sisters! Where are they keeping Celina and Katara?" Sokka demanded, holding his machete at the Dai Li.

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace," the Dai Li whimpered out his answered.

Having gotten the information they wanted, Sokka grabbed hold of the Dai Li agent and tossed him inside the house. After shutting the door, the four headed off towards the palace, Sokka and Toph intending to warn the Earth King about the coup while Aang and Iroh would search beneath the palace for the crystal catacombs.

* * *

Hours had passed by and Celina and Katara hadn't spoken to each other. Katara was still pissed about Celina not only not telling her that Iroh and Zuko were in the city but that she was interacting with them. Celina didn't try to push her, having almost expected this to happen. She just hoped that Katara would come around eventually. So, Celina just paced around their prison, making sure to stay away from the crystals. The quiet was broken as a rumbling noise came from the tunnel leading towards the entrance. A bit of light peeking into the catacombs informed the girls that the Dai Li must have opened the entrance.

"You've got company," they heard a Dai Li agent say.

Celina ran over to the entrance, wanting to see what was going on only to be knocked down by a tumbling Zuko. It didn't end with that however as with the way Zuko ended up falling on her caused the two to meet in an accidental kiss. The two's eyes widened in shock. Zuko's brightness that stirred the passion in Celina's core a few days ago sparked with the kiss. That spark felt like it ignited trails of blasting powder through her body, sending her nerves on fire as it headed to her core. It didn't reach it however as Zuko pulled away, extinguishing the spark. A shiver ran through both of their bodies, allowing Celina to figure out that Zuko must have felt the same way she did.

"Sorry," Zuko whispered an apology.

"It's fine," Celina replied breathlessly.

"Zuko!" Katara exclaimed in surprise. Her sister's remark reminded Celina that Katara was there as well. Katara's eyes turned from shock to loathing and soon Katara stomped over, pushing Zuko off Celina. "Get off my sister!" As quick as Katara pushed Zuko away she helped Celina to her feet and tried to pull her sister away from him.

"Katara, it's fine. He didn't hurt me," Celina assured her.

"Really? Cause it looked like assault to me. You've been through enough today, you don't need to add what he did to that list," Katara sneered at Zuko.

Zuko looked over Celina. He saw that she was still in the same dress she wore to the Jasmine Dragon but now it was torn. Worry spread over his face thinking of what might have happened that ended her up down here.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just a bit sore. Your sister's smart enough to keep me from bending so she had Ty Lee work her magic… multiple times," Celina answered.

"Why did they throw you in here?" Katara interrupted, going to accusing Zuko. "Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue us, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches. You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."

"Katara, stop," Celina scolded.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Zuko replied, trying to keep calm.

"I don't?! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put us through. Us personally. The Fire Nation took our mother away from us," Katara cried.

She turned away from Zuko and grabbed hold of her necklace, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. Zuko looked at her sadly before turning to Celina who was looking at the ground, sadness evident on her face as she remembered back to that day,

"I'm sorry," Zuko apologized. "That's something we have in common." At that moment Katara stopped crying and both her and Celina turned and looked at Zuko in genuine surprise. He looked to Celina curious if she would answer some questions. "Do you mind me asking how?"

"She was killed in a raid. I'll spare you the gory details," she answered, not entirely comfortable talking about it herself.

"How about yours?" Katara asked, much more polite than last time.

"I don't know. I just remember one day she was there and the next she was gone," Zuko answered.

Celina walked over and place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. It must be hard to get closure," she said.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," Katara apologized, realizing that perhaps there was more to Zuko than she thought. Perhaps her sister was right. Maybe he had changed.

"It doesn't matter," Zuko replied.

"It's just… for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face," Katara told him.

"My face. I see," Zuko said, his hand going to his scar.

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Katara regretted.

"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark. Celina has helped me see that," Zuko said.

"Maybe you could be free of it," Katara pondered.

"What?" Celina asked confused.

"I'm sure you know that Celina has healing abilities," Katara said.

"Katara, don't give him hope," Celina told her sister.

"But we also have water from the Spirit Oasis. With its special healing properties and your healing abilities you could do something," Katara replied.

"It's a scar, Katara, and a severe one at that. A special healing session from me isn't going to fix that. Maybe if I was there when you were hurt I'd be able to heal it properly but that's not an option," Celina explained.

She noticed that Zuko grew timid, feeling embarrassed that she was talking about one of his biggest insecurities. Wanting to reassure him Celina walked over and began to examine his scar, gently running her hand over it to see if there was anything she could do for him. A ragged breath escaped Zuko's lips.

"I might be able to soften it a bit. It would take several deep tissue healing sessions, but the less severe areas could be healed to almost nonexistence while the other scar tissue would soften. But that's up to you. To me, your scar doesn't define you, you define it. You are more than just your scar, Zuko. So much more."

Brushing her fingers over his face Celina looked up and met Zuko's eyes, losing herself in his sunny irises as he got lost in the moonlight of hers. Being so close to each other the two felt a pull, wanting to re-experience what they felt during their accidental kiss. They didn't get to however as there was a burst of rock from the side of the catacombs. Moving away from each other Zuko and Celina got into a defensive position before seeing that it was Aang and Iroh who busted out from a created tunnel. Katara was quick to run over to Aang and throw her arms around him in a hug. Iroh, in turn, ran up to Zuko and pulled him into a hug a well, happy to see that his nephew was okay. Celina backed away, allowing the four a moment of small happiness.

"How sweet," a chilling voice said, one in which only Celina could hear. A shiver went down her spine as Celina stood frozen in fear.

"Koh," she breathed.

"It's been a while, my dear," Koh continued. Celina carefully looked around for Koh, terrified that she would actually find him. "I've been trying to contact you for ages since I lost my connection back during my visit with the Avatar. Must be because you fixed your own connection with your parents. Such a shame. I've missed our time together."

Celina spotted movement from the corner of her eye. It didn't come from someone in the room but from a reflection in the crystals. They revealed the centipede-like body of Koh moving around but never his face.

"How are you here? You can't be here, there's no spirit portal," Celina shook.

"You are correct in one way. While it is true that I haven't crossed over into this world I am able to bring myself close with the help of this place. You can feel it, can't you? The buzzing of spiritual energy? These crystals give off such an intoxicating power," Koh explained.

Feeling a shift in the air, the movement of Koh's invisible, intangible body caused Celina to back away. It caused her to move away from her friends and closer to the crystals. Not that they noticed, they were currently wrapped up in their own reunions. "Why?... Why do you keep haunting me?" Celina whimpered, her hands starting to shake. This caused Koh to laugh.

"Because you are important. You, my dear, are going to help me cross over," Koh told her.

"What?!" Celina gaped in horror.

"You are my ticket into the mortal world. All I need from you are those budding spirit powers to pull me through. Even though you are young, I'm sure the aid from these crystals will be enough to get the job done," Koh said.

Celina flinched, hearing his voice as if the spirit was behind her. Instead of running away like she always wanted to do in her nightmares she stood her ground. Her body shook in terror, but she refused to back down from the monster who'd infiltrated her life. Things had gotten better without him and she wasn't going to take that away and ruin what she worked up to.

"No… No. I will never help a monster like you cross over to wreak havoc on my home… on my family… on my friends," Celina refused.

The air in the catacombs chilled. "You will cross me over, even if I have to force the powers out of you to do so," Koh growled.

A cry of pain left Celina's mouth as a stinging slice was left on her cheek. A defined line appeared, blood starting to seep out. The cry was replaced with screams as Koh's legs sliced through her dress and skin, covering her with cuts. Celina's screams final alerted the others who looked over at her in horror seeing her getting harmed by an invisible force.

"Celina!" Katara cried, going to run towards her sister. Iroh's arms stopped her though, keeping her away.

"No! This is the work of evil spirits. Going closer would only anger them more," Iroh warned.

"We can't just let them continue to hurt her!" Zuko protested.

Acting, Zuko threw some fire in the direction of where he thought the spirits would be, making sure that he didn't accidentally hit Celina. The fire didn't stop Koh however, it just made him angrier.

"Not only will I steal your face once I'll cross over, but I'll make sure you see me take the faces of those you care about. Starting with him," Koh threatened, referring to Zuko.

Celina snapped, her eyes aglow with spiritual energy. Koh's attack on her stopped as he took this as him finally getting her to do what he wanted. But he was severely mistaken.

"NO! I refuse to help you cross over! I refuse to let you hurt anyone else!" Celina exclaimed. She turned towards a crystal where the strongest source of Koh's energy was coming from, gathering up energy in her hand. Channeling all her anger she threw a punch at the crystal. "Go back to your tree and stay there! Forever!"

As soon as Celina's fist of gathered energy connected with the crystal the catacombs lit up like fireworks. Her body shook as the pulsing energy from the crystals surged through her. The cuts that Koh left on her body started glowing as well, a healing blue color that got smaller as the cuts began to heal themselves. Celina let out a long scream from sensory overload. With all the energy surrounding her the crystal Celina punched burst into several pieces. Iroh, Zuko, Katara, and Aang stood in shock at the show of Celina's power. Their shock grew as once the crystal was shattered the ghostly image of Koh appeared, his ever-changing face where Celina's fist was. The spirit flickered in an out a few times before disappearing.

With Celina no longer touching a crystal the others began to slowly lose their glow. Once the crystals were back to normal Celina's eyes reverted back as well, her irises no longer displaying spiritual energy. The others carefully approached Celina as she stood there, her body still shaking from the overload of spiritual energy. Once her body realized the energy was gone Celina blacked out, collapsing.

"Celina!" Katara cried out once again. Zuko was quick to act, catching her before Celina's head could hit the ground. Katara knelt down next to them, checking over her sister.

"What just happened? What was that?" Zuko questioned.

"Koh," Aang frowned.

"The face stealer. He is one of the ancient spirits," Iroh explained. "It appears that he was trying to cross over from the Spirit World. Celina must have used her willpower and the spiritual energy from the crystals to send him away. It was a very dangerous thing to do, but she saved our lives in doing so."

"And now she's knocked out cold. We need to get out of here before something else happens," Katara assessed.

Aang nodded in agreement and headed over. He and Katara lifted Celina out of Zuko's arms, throwing one of her arms around their shoulders, and began to carry her out. Zuko went to protest but Iroh placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder to stop him.

"Go get her to your other friends. We'll catch up with you," Iroh told the three. Katara and Aang nodded their head in thanks before disappearing into the tunnel that Aang had created.

"Why, Uncle?" Zuko asked hurt. He wanted to go after them, he wanted to carry Celina to safety like he did for her back at the North Pole. He wanted to be there when she woke up and ask her so many questions. Why did his uncle stop him from doing so? Didn't he care about Celina as well?

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It is time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good," Iroh told him. He was concerned about Celina as well but Iroh needed to see where his nephew's head was at before letting him go anywhere with the Avatar.

Zuko looked back at the tunnel, absorbing his uncle's words. He was startled however by a violent quake. A trail of crystals shot out of the ground towards Iroh before trapping him in a jagged prison. Zuko readied himself for an attack from the Dai Li and was surprised to find that they weren't alone. His sister was with them.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko… you're a lot of things but you're not a traitor, are you?" Azula questioned.

"Release him immediately!" Zuko demanded.

"It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself," Azula said.

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you," Iroh told him.

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" Azula barked before turning her attention back to her brother. "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of the day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want."

"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want," Iroh pleaded.

Zuko looked back at Iroh, back at Azula, back at the tunnel, and hung his head. "You are free to choose," Azula offered.

And with that Azula and her Dai Li agents left, leaving Zuko to make his choice.

* * *

Katara and Aang were starting to get tired carrying Celina's unconscious body through the old City of Ba Sing Se but they needed to get out of there and find the rest of their friends. They were about halfway to the tunnel leading out when a stream of blue fire rocketed towards them from none other than Azula. Aang quickly turned around and earthbended a wall to protect them but ended up getting thrown back by the force of which the fire hit the wall. Katara dropped Celina and ran to bend from water from the channel running through the underground.

She charged at Azula, bringing that water down on her which gave Aang enough time to earthbend Celina over close to the tunnel, away from the fight. Azula deflected Katara's attack and easily turned the next wave Katara threw at her into steam. Katara and Aang's eyes zoomed all over the cloud trying to figure out where Azula would emerge. Azula jumped out from the side, sending two blue fireballs at them. They bended some water from the channel, blocking her attack, the leftover of which Aang used to crumble a column that Azula had jumped to.

Avoiding being crushed from the tumbling rocks, Azula jumped yet again and landed between Katara and Aang. The firebender lifted both her hands, ready to fire at the first one who made a move as the odds turned to the Avatar's favor. All three were surprised however as a huge flame fell in between Azula and Aang. Turning they saw that Zuko had come to join the fight. Nobody moved for a moment as Zuko looked to his sister and then the Avatar. Choosing his destiny, Zuko shot a blast at Aang which caused Aang to airbend his way back to avoid, leaving Katara to fight Azula.

Zuko charged ahead with blast after blast of fire at Aang who did his best dodging, throwing a bit of airbending back at Zuko when the chance arose. Aang got knocked back a few times but waited until there was a pause in Zuko's attacks. Using earthbending Aang carved out a large section of the ceiling and sent it hurling down below, causing a wave of earth to burst from where it landed, sending Zuko flying back into some crystals.

Katara had been doing a decent job handling Azula, using water to block her fiery attacks. One of the throws that the waterbender managed to sneak in came so close to Azula that it ended up cutting an inch of hair off part of her bangs. From that distraction Katara drew more water from the channel, bending it around her body as a form of protection while also lending to her attacks. As Azula was about to send another blast her way Katara used the water as an extension of her arms and caught hold not only of Azula's arm but one of her legs as well. Katara was about to lift Azula up to slam her back down when Zuko interfered, breaking her connection with a slice of fire.

Azula smirked as she turned her sights on Aang as Katara turned and glared at Zuko. This was the guy not that long ago who was apologizing to her and Celina for the Fire Nation. He was the one who tried to help Celina when Koh was attacking her and was the one who caught her sister when she fell unconscious. Celina spent time healing him and even accepted to go out to dinner because of the change she saw in Zuko. A change that Celina tried to convince Katara of.

"I thought you had changed!" Katara snarled, as the two started to duke it out in a battle of water arms verses fire arms.

"I have changed," Zuko replied, throwing so much into the fight.

Meanwhile, Azula was using her flames to speed towards Aang. With quick thinking the Avatar bended the crystals nearby around him, forming an armor set around himself before charging back at her. Once close enough Azula stopped and her the fire propelling her at Aang. It hit him dead on, breaking the armor and throwing him back into an old building. With him knocked away, Azula joined her brother in fighting Katara and with the two of them combined the Fire Nation siblings tossed the waterbender back into some crystals. When Katara got knocked down though Aang got back up. Using his earthbending he rode a wave of earth towards them that got stopped when a Dai Li agent jumped in, disrupting the earth.

More Dai Li agents jumped down from the ceiling, some landing behind Zuko and Azula to act against Aang while others cornered Katara. The waterbender was quick to grab more water and begin her octopus act to fend off the Dai Li. Aang looked around. With the amount of Dai Li agents with Zuko and Azula, Katara trying her hardest to hold to hold some agents off, and Celina passed out on the side where she was free to grab, Aang made a decision. He bended some crystals out of the ground to create a closed off hut and began to meditate.

Iroh had made it into the opening just in time to see the crystal hut burst as Aang went into the Avatar State. He looked in ah as Aang rose up from his hiding spot, getting ready to take on attackers. That awe was shattered however as Azula charged up her lightning, hitting Aang in the back with a smirk. Horror settled in as the glow of the Avatar State disappeared and Aang fell. Katara instantly used her water to create a wave which she used to surf over the Dai Li and the Fire Nation siblings in order to catch Aang, tears streaming down her face. Iroh, in the meantime, spotted Celina near the wall.

Picking up one of the shattered crystal bits he headed over to the girl, knowing what must be done if there was going to be a chance to save what Azula had broken. Taking hold of the girl's hand Iroh forced Celina's fingers around the crystal and held it in place. The crystal lit up and the unconscious girl instantly awoke, her eyes glowing with spiritual energy. She tried to toss the crystal away from her as the spiritual energy started to become too much for her but Iroh held it in place.

"No! You must endure it. Your friends are in danger. Azula has shot the Avatar down while he was in the Avatar State," Iroh informed her.

"What?!" Celina gasped, doing her best now to pay attention to what Iroh was saying.

"Azula has Zuko and the Dai Li on her side. I can try and hold them off, but you need to use your spiritual abilities to get the other two out of here. You might be the only one left who can end this war," Iroh continued.

Celina's eyes widened. Her heart experienced a painful snap hearing that after everything they'd been through Zuko choose Azula. She bit the tears back, stealing her heart. What she didn't push aside however as Iroh's last sentence. "How…?" Celina tried to ask.

"I've had a hunch since the North Pole but you saving us from the face stealer confirmed it," Iroh explained. "Now, you must go before it's too late."

She nodded in response. Iroh helped Celina up to her feet before removed his hand from hers. Celina fought hard to not toss the crystal aside but instead placed it inside her bodice. A whimper escaped her lips as the energy heightened, now closer to Celina's spiritual core. Still, she did her best to power through. Iroh went to jump into the fight but Celina stopped him, just wanting one more minute

"Iroh… your son is so proud of the man you've become," Celina told him.

Tears of gratitude formed in the older man's eyes, touched greatly by Celina's words. He simply nodded in thanks before running into the fray, firing off shots just as Azula and Zuko recovered and were moving towards Katara and Aang. Removing the sash from around her waist Celina instead tied it around her eyes making sure that Azula and the Dai Li wouldn't see their spiritual glow. If she was the only person left to stop this war, then she wasn't telling her enemy her biggest secret. Not yet.

Blinded by the cloth Celina took a deep breath and tapped into her bending abilities to see. Part of it was to feel where the waterways were, which included a waterfall that would lead them out from the underground. The other part was using her bloodbending to locate her friends. All the times she healed someone her bloodbending would help her memorize their body chemistry. She bypassed Iroh, ignored Zuko's, and focused on finding Katara and Aang. Celina frowned as she took in Aang's state. His heart was barely pumping thanks to Azula's damage. If she got him out fast enough she could possibly save his life.

Gathering up half of the water from the channel Celina bended it towards her, surrounding herself in the water. With one push she shot herself with the water towards Katara and Aang. The enemy's eyes widened in shock, not expecting Celina to step into the battle. While Azula tensed Zuko deflated a bit. Katara stared up at her sister, not knowing what to do.

"Keep hold of Aang and stay close to me," Celina ordered.

Katara nodded and huddled up to her sister. Using the water Celina used it to send the three of them up the waterfall. When they were halfway up Celina paused. Taking a third of the water she bended it into icy spikes. Targeting all the unfamiliar body chemistry Celina shot the ice daggers. Azula was smart and quick enough to dodge her dagger, having dealt with Celina's ice before. However, not all the Dai Li agents were quick like her. About three-fourths of the Dai Li agents were hit, a third of them killed in an instant. Not that Celina stayed to count. After releasing her daggers Celina didn't waste any more time and got the three of them out of there.

* * *

Bursting up from the underground Celina made it just as Sokka, Toph, the Earth King, and Bosco were climbing aboard Appa. Sokka and the Earth King stared at them in shock, but Celina didn't let them pause. Using the water that brought them up Celina froze the exit, stopping the Dai Li agents down below from coming up. Once that was done Celina got her, Katara, and Aang onto Appa, still using her bloodbending to sense where she was going.

"Yip yip," she told the sky bison. Appa took off in an instant, flying them as far away from Ba Sing Se as possible, where he was flying yet to be determined.

"Celina, please, help him," Katara pleaded, holding Aang and the vial of water from the Spirit Oasis out to her sister.

Ripping off her blindfold, Celina lifted Aang's shirt to locate the wound. It was nasty looking, but Celina didn't stop and stare. Instead, she took the water from the vial which instantly started to glow. Using her healing powers Celina spread the water over the wound, sinking it in for a deep healing session. Blending her healing and her bloodbending Celina went to work healing damaged muscles, getting his heart back to normal, and healing a spiritual force that Celina was a bit surprised to find. But she didn't stop to question it. She didn't stop until Aang's heartbeat was back to normal and his breathing was even again. The brief glow of his arrows helped informed her that she'd accomplished that.

At that point, she pulled Aang's shirt back down and handed him off to Katara who held him tight to her chest. Aang groaned before opening his eyes and smiling up at Katara. Katara gasped in delight, letting tears spill down her face as she hugged Aang close to her for a moment. As Aang fell back asleep Celina reached into her bodice and pulled out the still glowing piece of crystal from the catacombs.

"Toph, would you mind holding onto this for me?" she asked the earthbender.

"Sure, uh, what is it?" Toph asked.

"The emergency plan," Celina answered, dropping the crystal into Toph's hand.

As soon as the crystal left Celina's hand it stopped glowing along with Celina's eyes. When her irises were back to normal Celina passed out on Appa, the overload of the day being way too much for her body to handle. Sokka grabbed hold of his sister, making sure she didn't fall off Appa. Toph felt the crystal in her hand, a bit confused on what Celina meant, but put it in her pocket to keep it safe like she promised before grabbing Sokka's arm to keep her steady. With everybody holding onto each other, the Earth King, Sokka, and Katara looked over the city, sadness and pain in their eyes.

"The Earth Kingdom has fallen," the Earth King said sullenly.

* * *

Zuko stood next to Azula in the Earth King's throne room while his sister took her spot on the throne. They had sent the Dai Li out to bring down the outer wall, letting in Azula's awaiting forces to completely take over the city. Azula was absolutely delighted but Zuko was starting to have second thoughts on the whole situation.

"We've done it, Zuko. It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se," she celebrated.

"I betrayed Uncle," Zuko said, his voice laced with regret.

"No, he betrayed you. Zuko, when you return home, father will welcome you as a war hero," Azula told him.

"But I don't have the Avatar. What if father doesn't restore my honor?" Zuko questioned.

"He doesn't need to, Zuko," Azula said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Today you restored your own honor."

Zuko turned away from her, looking down at the ground pensively. He restored his honor, he was going home. He was getting everything he had worked towards for years. But he had betrayed his uncle, the person who'd been with him ever since he was banished. The man who stayed with him no matter what.

And Celina.

Part of him hoped that when they were down in the catacombs that perhaps he could have her too. That once they defeated the Avatar he could convince Azula to allow him to take Celina as a personal prisoner. But, of course, that didn't happen. Of course, Celina was strong enough to not only get her and her friends out of there but take out a chunk of Dai Li agents on her way. Not only did she kill some on the spot, but several injured ones didn't make it to the infirmary. Yet she still cared enough about him not to send an ice dagger his way. And he still betrayed her.

He wondered how well he'd be able to sleep that night.

* * *

Celina didn't know where she was after passing out. The last time this happened she didn't end up going anywhere. It was just darkness until she came to. If she was to go somewhere she would figure it would be the Spirit World like all the other times she fell asleep, but this place wasn't that. Instead, she found herself standing in a blank world, wearing a dress she had never seen before. Her bare feet smacked against the ground as Celina paced. She racked her brain for information that Bitten or her parents might have told her that would explain where she was at. Her thought process came to a halt when she felt someone appear behind her. Turning around Celina scowled.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

Standing right in front of her was a very confused Zuko.


End file.
